Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 586: There Was Another Observer
"You—!"
Ch'en's brows knitted tightly together. She had already known Steven couldn't possibly be acting alone, but what she never expected was that the person working with him was actually one of her uncle's informants.
Just what kind of person was this guy? Why were all the people around him weirder than the last?
She shot Steven a helpless glare. Deep down, she practically wanted to bite this annoying man to death, but in the end, she still had no legitimate reason to make a move against him.
After all, she was infected with Oripathy. And Steven hadn't lied, which meant there was nothing she could really do to him.
"What do you mean, 'you'?" Steven replied with a grin. "Miss, I honestly think you should worry about your own condition first. I'm only telling you this for your own good. Oripathy isn't exactly the kind of thing you can ignore forever. The longer you drag it out, the worse it gets."
He casually spread his hands.
"Coincidentally, Rhodes Island recently developed some new treatment methods for infected patients. If you're interested, I could even give you, say… a twenty percent discount."
Steven didn't look even slightly worried that Ch'en might take her anger out on him. Everything he'd said was the truth. She couldn't exactly arrest someone just because she didn't like hearing it.
"…That won't be necessary."
Ch'en turned her gaze away from him, clearly no longer wanting to continue this conversation.
"I still need to continue pursuing that suspicious girl from earlier. Judging from her behavior, she's definitely not the type to stay quiet. If she causes trouble in Lungmen, that's something I absolutely cannot allow."
Talking to Steven never led to anything good anyway. She'd rather focus on actual work.
Besides, despite all his issues, Steven wasn't really the type to actively stir up trouble. Other than his questionable personality, he didn't seem particularly malicious.
But that Lupo girl from before was a completely different story.
The moment she merely suspected Ch'en's identity, she'd immediately gone for the kill. That alone was enough to prove how dangerous she was.
Even though she had already escaped, judging from her final words, she clearly intended to remain in Lungmen for a while longer.
"Ch'en, I think I should handle that matter instead."
Hoshiguma suddenly stepped forward, stopping Ch'en before she could leave.
"What you need to do right now is get your body checked. And if possible… accepting that boy's offer might not be a bad idea either."
Compared to Ch'en herself, Hoshiguma seemed far more concerned about her condition.
Now that it was basically confirmed Ch'en had contracted Oripathy, there was no way she felt comfortable letting her continue acting alone. Who knew when the disease might suddenly flare up?
And honestly, Steven wasn't wrong.
While Hoshiguma didn't know much about Rhodes Island overall, she did know they were exceptionally skilled when it came to treating the infected. Lungmen alone had already sent quite a few infected personnel there for treatment, including the sons and daughters of several major corporations leaders.
No matter what, there was absolutely no way she was going to let Ch'en brush this issue aside.
"Hoshiguma, don't do this. You know perfectly well why I kept it a secret." Ch'en's expression darkened immediately upon hearing her old friend's words. "If you stop me from working, you might as well just kill me."
She knew Hoshiguma's personality all too well.
Sure, she usually acted carefree and easygoing, like a rough older sister figure, but once she made up her mind about something, changing it was nearly impossible.
"I don't care," Hoshiguma declared bluntly. "You're coming back with me first."
"As for that dangerous suspect you mentioned, the LGD isn't so understaffed that everything depends on you alone. Worst case scenario, we'll just let that big cat handle the investigation."
She snorted lightly.
"Her drones are way more professional than you when it comes to both reconnaissance and infiltration anyway."
As she spoke, Hoshiguma simply reached over and hoisted Ch'en straight onto her shoulder without another word, carrying her off like a sack of rice.
"And as for you, thanks for telling me about Old Ch'en's condition. I'll buy you a drink sometime when I get the chance."
Hoshiguma waved at Steven cheerfully.
"I won't interrupt your free time any longer. I'm heading back to the LGD first."
With that, she carried Ch'en away toward the Lungmen Guard Department like some bandit kidnapping a maiden by force, completely ignoring the struggling police unit chief slung over her shoulder.
Under such overwhelming physical strength, there was simply no way Ch'en could break free unless she drew her sword, Chi Xiao.
Steven, meanwhile, simply smiled and waved back at the oni girl.
How should he put it…
People with that kind of big-sister personality really were perfect friendship material. Being around them just naturally made you feel comfortable.
As for Ch'en getting dragged away?
That had absolutely nothing to do with him. Why would he have any reason to stop it?
Only after watching Hoshiguma disappear into the distance with Ch'en over her shoulder did Steven finally turn his gaze toward a particularly hidden corner nearby.
Then he casually waved in that direction.
"You can come out now, little tattletale. They've already left, so there's no point hiding anymore."
Lin Yuhsia's stealth skills were excellent. Even Steven would normally have trouble pinpointing her location.
Unfortunately for her, with the minimap helping him, he didn't really need to care about things like concealment.
The moment his words fell, Lin Yuhsia frowned and slowly stepped out from the shadows.
Ch'en's condition was definitely something she needed to report to her superior, but that didn't mean she appreciated being called a "little tattletale."
"How did you notice?" she asked with a frown.
"That's something even people like me—who deal with infected individuals all year round—couldn't confirm."
She was telling the truth.
Ch'en had hidden her illness extremely well. Even someone like Lin Yuhsia, who spent years operating in the infected-filled slums, had failed to notice anything unusual.
Yet Steven had taken one glance and immediately figured it out.
Could this be some special Rhodes Island technique?
"Probably because I've got pretty good eyesight," Steven replied lazily.
"I can see things ordinary people can't."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked toward the deepest part of a nearby alley.
"For example… ever since earlier, I've been able to tell that besides us, there's been a third party observing everything happening here."
At the far end of the alley sat nothing but a pile of trash swallowed by darkness. No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like a place where anyone could hide.
And yet Steven was absolutely certain that a pair of eyes had been watching them from there the entire time.
More precisely, this observer had already been present since the incident with the Umbrella gang earlier. They simply never made a move, almost like another spectator quietly watching from the sidelines.
Still, no matter who it was, being stared at nonstop was uncomfortable.
Once or twice was fine, but if someone kept watching forever, even Steven would start feeling self-conscious.
"How could there possibly be someone there? It's literally just a pile of garbage."
Lin Yuhsia looked toward the direction Steven indicated.
All she could see was trash.
But before she could finish speaking, she abruptly flicked her hand.
A cluster of crystal-clear daggers shot through the air like shards of transparent crystal, instantly blasting the pile of garbage apart.
And from within the debris, a black figure was revealed.
Yet when Lin Yuhsia focused her gaze, she discovered it was merely a tiny kitten, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.
"You're saying this kitten is your so-called third-party observer?"
She turned to Steven, her eyes filled with suspicion.
Was he trying to mess with her again?
"Of course not."
Ignoring her doubtful stare, Steven slowly crouched down in front of the little cat.
Then, with a smile, he spoke the title floating above its head.
"You might think it's just a joke or something, but I really can see things others can't."
"Isn't that right, Mr. Shapeshifter King?"
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Note:
The Shapeshifter King is Damazti Cluster
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M