"—Run identity verification on the members of Penguin Logistics? What are you planning to do now, Ch'en Hui-jie? Public records and public funds aren't yours to burn on a whim."
"Just want to look at the detailed file."
"Is that so?"
In the corridor outside the Lungmen Guard Department archives, another senior figure of the LGD, Swire, eyed Ch'en with open suspicion.
The famously hot-tempered heiress-officer gave her a quick once-over, then turned away with a dismissive wave.
"Whatever. Not my problem. But I'm warning you—don't get it into your head that you can turn him into an informant."
"Why?"
"Because he's dangerous. I wouldn't advise you to expect anything from him, Ch'en Hui-jie. I don't particularly like you, but you're still a colleague."
She took two steps away—then turned back again.
Swire looked at the seemingly indifferent Ch'en, her expression uncharacteristically sour, and lowered her voice.
"That man is dangerous in the truest sense. Not like those street gangs."
"His gaze is dangerous. Aggressive. He's always watching my weak points and joints—he barely looks people in the eye."
"I met him once. It felt awful. Chest, collarbone, ribs, waist, joints, hair, tail—every vulnerable point that could be attacked, he was studying. And yet he barely paid attention to faces or limbs. It wasn't normal."
"That doesn't prove anything."
"But staring through a translucent skirt to examine someone's weak points isn't exactly friendly, is it?"
She patted Ch'en on the shoulder and resumed walking toward the end of the corridor.
"And what he does is eerie."
"Has he broken the law?"
"No. That's the problem. People like that either do nothing at all… or they do something truly terrible. You know that."
Stopping at the corridor's far end, Swire braced a hand on the doorframe and looked back at Ch'en, who seemed deep in thought.
"Oh, and by the way—the file you're looking for? Someone already took it."
"Who?"
"A clerical staffer from Section Three. Walked out of the building right after. If you want to catch them, you'd better hurry."
"…Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"I only just found out. What, you want me to hold your hand? Go catch your criminal."
Shrugging off Ch'en's resentful stare, Swire spoke as if it were nothing.
At the same time, out in the warehouse district on the outskirts—
More than a dozen men in black trench coats and wide-brimmed hats emerged slowly from every direction. One by one, they raised hand crossbows and trained them on the Penguin Logistics car parked in front of the warehouse.
Then a tall man with a scarred face and a cigar clenched between his teeth stepped out from the crowd. With a grim expression, he held a sheet of paper, slapped it against the side of the surrounded vehicle, and called out loudly:
"Ah! Mr. Li Lin of Penguin Logistics! I've got a report here with your name on it. You're the one who filed that complaint about the Columbian shipment, right?"
"Oh, you managed to get it that quickly? That's honestly surprising."
Li Lin opened the door and got out, facing the gang members encircling him. He smiled, calm and unhurried.
"I never expected the Lungmen Guard Department to be good at keeping secrets, but I didn't think you'd crack it in under three hours. I'm impressed."
"Of course we did. We paid a fortune for this. We get to wipe out an annoying bastard like you, and we get what we want at the same time—nice and clean. See? If you weren't so sensitive, we could've stayed at peace."
Taking a hard drag on his cigar, the tall man leaned down toward Li Lin with a cold grin and exhaled a cloud of filthy smoke.
"This won't do, Mr. Li Lin. In logistics, the most important thing is integrity. If you can't manage that, don't work this line. Understand?"
"I thought the most important things in logistics were speed and safety."
Li Lin looked at the unfriendly boss and replied casually.
"What—if you asked me to deliver an Originium bomb, I'm supposed to deliver it honestly? That makes no sense."
"Heh. Smart mouth won't save you, Mr. Li Lin."
Straightening up again, the scarred man wore the easy confidence of a winner.
"We didn't pay this price just to argue with you. Come with us. Somewhere the LGD can't interfere. You can't do anything now, Li Lin."
"Oh, sure. But there's something I've been curious about."
"…What?"
"When did you start deluding yourselves into thinking I didn't do anything?"
The big boss blinked, thrown off. Li Lin leaned against the Penguin Logistics car with a quiet sigh and snapped his fingers.
"Do it."
Boom!
With an explosive crash, a vehicle that had clearly been waiting slammed straight through the warehouse's thin partition wall—forcing itself between Li Lin and the gang.
Before the crossbowmen could react, the Penguin Logistics-branded vehicle whipped into a beautiful drift, flinging countless burning canisters like a meteor shower straight into the crowd.
And to make matters worse for them, amid the flames and chaos, a short-haired redheaded girl shouted with delighted enthusiasm:
"Divine retribution!"
In the passenger seat, Exusiai whooped at the top of her lungs as rubber bullets poured out like rain.
For Exusiai, landing steady shots from a fast-spinning, moving car was exactly the kind of thrill she lived for.
Dozens of rubber rounds hammered into wrists and skulls in an instant—hands spasmed open, crossbows clattered to the ground, bodies dropped with screams.
Even the gang boss who'd been towering in front of Li Lin a moment earlier was sent flying by the shrieking engine and the brutal impact—leaving only a burning trail behind, and the gang's panicked wailing mixed with scattered, furious shouts inside the smoke.
A sudden ambush turned into an instant counter-encirclement. Prepared versus unprepared. Overwhelming firepower. No one would die. There was nothing to fear.
The fight wouldn't end in the blink of an eye, of course—but the important things still had to be done.
Watching the scene descend into chaos, Li Lin brushed ash from his clothes and opened his own car door.
Sora was in the seat, trembling slightly, yet staring at everything without blinking. Li Lin let out a soft sigh and spoke quietly:
"I hope you weren't too frightened, Miss Sora. Sometimes this is simply what we have to do. Cautious, careful, and always with contingencies. We operate along the gray edge—killing is off-limits, but small tricks like this? We can play a few rounds."
"Th-this is…"
"Everyone thinks they can control the whole situation. Truth is, they can't. So all we can do is be as careful as possible—prepare multiple options for every action. Penguin Logistics is a dangerous business. Our job is to keep patching the cracks: expose the small flaws that can't be repaired, and use that exposure to seal the bigger gaps."
"…"
"Sorry. I'm a little tense myself. Let me relax for a second."
He pulled a cigarette from his inner pocket, leaned toward the edge of the burning wreckage, and lit it off a stray ember.
Head tilted back, he looked up at the spotless, vividly blue—utterly artificial—sky. He took a deep breath.
Then he stubbed the cigarette out, dropped it, and crushed it beneath his shoe.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze. Smiling warmly, he extended a firm hand toward Sora, who was still sitting there wide-eyed, stunned by everything around her.
Before the idol could even process what was happening, he caught her slender wrist, pulled her up, met her bewildered eyes head-on, and clasped her hand tightly in his.
"Welcome to Penguin Logistics. I'm Li Lin, corporate strategy planning. I look forward to working with you."
"…"
"And by the way—don't forget our agreement."
…A girl's hand is so soft. And it smells nice, too.
Still smiling, still shaking her hand, Li Lin blinked—thinking that to himself as Sora stared at him, frozen in place.
-------
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