8:24 a.m.
Inside a cramped office in the LGD Special Operations Department.
"Mhm, I'm fine. Got it—thanks, Chen."
"No, no, no, don't come see me. You said it yourself—we shouldn't act too familiar inside the LGD."
"Alright, don't worry, I remember. Tonight I'll definitely meet up with you all. We'll have dinner together."
Chen Mo wiped the cold sweat off his forehead as he ended the call. His "cheap little sister's" intense concern was honestly hard to withstand.
Yesterday's job in District 18 could be considered complete. Without Taran and the others backing them, the remaining gangs were just a mob of rabble—District 18 quickly returned to its usual calm.
And the LGD didn't make things difficult for Exusiai or Texas, either—especially after Emperor personally showed up and accompanied the two of them while they answered the LGD's questions. The matter was resolved quickly.
Other than Taran—still missing—everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
Knock knock knock—
Chen Mo abruptly stopped fiddling with his tail. He straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and said, "Ahem… come in."
The door opened.
"Chen Mo, someone's looking for you."
Baili stepped in with a face full of curiosity. Hugging a file folder to his chest, he kept sizing Chen Mo up in his chair.
"Whoever it is, even the captain said you can rest today. Chen Mo… did some incredible woman start keeping you as a boy-toy lately?"
"Get lost. What are you even saying?" Chen Mo got up and waved him away irritably. "Maybe I did such a great job they're giving me an award."
He was already in a foul mood. He wanted to see who would come looking for him at a time like this.
"Mr. Chen Mo. Lord Wei requests your presence."
At the LGD's main entrance stood a woman in a black suit, delivering that bombshell with an utterly professional face. Chen Mo went speechless and quietly abandoned the idea of asking follow-up questions.
Was this about him failing to keep Taran contained?
…
Inside the Governor's Office
Chen Mo sat stiffly on the sofa. Normally, he would have been lounging around and admiring the luxurious furniture he'd never be able to afford.
But right now—
"You've had it rough, Xiao Mo. Were you hurt yesterday?"
Chen Mo gave an awkward shake of his head and subtly edged away from Wei Yenwu, who was patting his hand in comfort.
"No. Uh… Governor Wei, why did you call me here?"
Wei Yenwu's concern made Chen Mo's skin crawl. He was terrified the Lungmen Governor would suddenly turn hostile and make trouble for him.
Wei Yenwu laughed.
"My boy, what are you saying? Can't I care about my own nephew?"
"And stop calling me 'Governor Wei.' Just call me Uncle."
He smiled without minding Chen Mo's evasiveness. Even the pipe he usually loved was set aside.
Seeing Chen Mo still sitting bolt upright, Wei Yenwu finally put the "concerned elder" routine on hold and moved to business.
"Taran has already fled into Ursus. As an Infected, she'll have a hard time taking even a single step there."
"That's… really great news."
Chen Mo let out a long breath. His rigid posture loosened.
So Taran was Infected. That explained why, even after her weapon was damaged, she could still wield Originium Arts so fluidly.
"But don't get careless," Wei Yenwu continued. "I'll keep the information sealed, and I'll send people into Ursus to search for her trail as much as possible."
"Her influence may be negligible in Ursus, but she's still a problem."
Wei Yenwu subconsciously reached toward the pipe beside him—then stopped himself when he saw how attentively Chen Mo was listening.
"For your safety, you won't be taking any missions for the time being."
"Rest for a while. Once I deal with a few scum and the situation fully stabilizes, you can return to duty."
Chen Mo nodded. He understood—sending him alone into District 18, and letting Taran slip out of Lungmen… there had to be internal sabotage behind it.
"Alright. Then I'll head back first, Go—Uncle Wei?"
He accepted the arrangement without hesitation—and looked almost eager to leave.
But Wei Yenwu, who rarely got to see him, had no intention of letting him go that easily. He grabbed Chen Mo's hand and smiled.
"Don't rush off. There are a few things I want to ask you."
So it's finally coming…
Chen Mo sat up straighter, placing his thick tail neatly in front of himself.
"Ask away, Uncle Wei."
Was he going to ask how Chen Mo felt about life in Lungmen? Or his view on Victoria's politics far away?
Like Taran said, he was a Red Dragon. It would make sense.
Wei Yenwu nodded in satisfaction and—rather intimately—reached out to ruffle Chen Mo's silver hair.
"You're not young anymore, are you? Got a girlfriend? Or—are any women pursuing you?"
"…?"
Chen Mo's "serious face" instantly collapsed. He pulled his hand back and complained, "Can you ask something more appropriate?"
"How is that not appropriate?" Wei Yenwu said matter-of-factly. "Women marry men, men marry into families. Marriage is the most important thing in a man's life."
"By the way—what kind of woman do you like?"
It felt exactly like getting cornered by relatives during the holidays.
Chen Mo didn't want to answer, but Wei Yenwu's expression clearly wasn't joking. After thinking for a moment, he replied honestly:
"I… prefer women whose horns and tails are pretty and well-kept."
It was a bizarre preference, but Chen Mo swore it was the truth.
From the moment he first arrived in Lungmen until now, the thing he liked most was his own tail. He cleaned it meticulously every day, and when he had nothing to do, he would even play with it.
And by extension, he now had the same "standards" for a future partner.
"Horns and tail… that's unexpected."
Noting that Chen Mo disliked physical contact, Wei Yenwu leaned back, increased the distance between them, and nodded thoughtfully after studying Chen Mo's face.
"Mhm. A man as outstanding as you will certainly attract many women. But I have one requirement, Xiao Mo."
"…Go ahead."
Chen Mo gave up. He flopped back into the sofa and waved a hand lazily.
He didn't take these matters too seriously. As long as someone looked pleasing enough, he was willing to get to know her.
Of course, if the relationship were to go further, "pleasant to look at" wasn't enough—he still wanted to experience what sweet romance actually felt like.
Seeing that Chen Mo wasn't strongly repelled by the topic, Wei Yenwu stated his condition with complete seriousness.
"In the future, if you find a woman you truly like, she must pass my vetting first. Xiao Mo—you understand how special you are."
"As long as her identity isn't a problem and she treats you sincerely, I won't deliberately make things difficult for your future wife."
Chen Mo nodded, unconcerned. To him, all of this still felt far away.
"Then thanks in advance, Uncle Wei. Can I leave now?"
Wei Yenwu laughed loudly.
"You kid… go, go. I won't keep you."
Thump—
Only after the heavy door to the spacious reception room closed behind Chen Mo did a dragonkin woman's figure slowly appear behind Wei Yenwu.
To avoid suspicion, she hadn't taken part in the two men's conversation. Seeing that the pipe on the table had remained unlit the whole time, Wen Yue smiled and said:
"So you really like this nephew of yours?"
"Boys are always more considerate than girls, aren't they?" Wei Yenwu replied softly. "And you know how long it's been since Chen that child has…"
He stopped there.
Wen Yue understood—he was thinking of the past again—so she didn't press further.
…
Meanwhile
Just outside the Governor's building, Chen Mo was planning to return to the LGD to give a few updates when his phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hello. Exusiai—what's up?"
"You want to treat me to dinner? Tonight?"
"Alright. It's a deal."
Probably because she wanted to thank him for yesterday.
Thinking that, Chen Mo immediately messaged Ch'en Hui-chieh: [Going out to eat with friends tonight].
Then, humming to himself and swishing his tail, he headed off into the distance.
-------
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