Hoshiguma watched helplessly as her friend's expression grew increasingly grim. Ch'en's tail was rhythmically lashing against her own calves, strike after strike, as if those two legs didn't even belong to her.
"Alright, alright. No matter what's happened, don't take it out on yourself. It's already done; even if you whip your own legs until they break, it won't change anything, will it? Cool down, cool down."
Seeing Ch'en getting worked up over the situation, Hoshiguma quickly stepped in to comfort her friend.
Having partnered for so many years, Hoshiguma understood Ch'en's personality perfectly. To Ch'en, an oversight like this felt like a direct mockery of her own incompetence. For someone who worked harder than anyone else, that was a cruel thought—and the one voice she dreaded hearing most.
Though Hoshiguma didn't know the deep-seated "why" behind this drive, years of companionship allowed her to read the emotions behind every one of Ch'en's movements.
"I'm fine. It's just that my plans for the next few days have been completely derailed. Looking at this, my vacation today and tomorrow is officially dead. I was actually planning to go see a movie."
After taking a few deep breaths, Ch'en spoke to Hoshiguma in a level tone. It seemed she had regained her composure, even finding the mental space to discuss movies. Ch'en felt like every time she tried to take a leave and ended up back at the station, nothing good ever happened. Today, she had only intended to drop off a few brawling thugs, only to stumble into this mess.
"Are you talking about Yan Fortress? I heard from the others that it's not great. They said everyone fell asleep within five minutes of the premiere. By the time the second screening ended, the same people were still sitting there asleep because no one else had come to watch it."
"I know. I was banking on its hypnotic effects; I wanted to see it before it got pulled from theaters. I've been having some insomnia lately, so I wanted to see if that movie was really as effective as they say."
As she spoke, Ch'en expertly reassembled the crossbow parts. She didn't even need her eyes open for this, let alone watching them. She could do this in her sleep.
"Has anyone asked Wei Yenwu? Didn't he say he had eyes and ears all over the slums and that everything was under his control?"
Ch'en questioned Hoshiguma, already preparing to put her uniform back on to go demand answers from Wei Yenwu. How did such a massive oversight happen?
Was he planning to wait until the LGD launched a large-scale operation and these people stormed in with these weapons before telling her? Or had that old man's supervision truly failed?
"Wait, wait! Swire has already gone to see the City Executive. She should be on her way back by now. Listen to what she has to say first. If that doesn't work, it won't be too late to go then!"
Hoshiguma looked at her decisive squad leader and sighed. Ch'en was great in every way, but her drive was just too strong—sometimes you couldn't even get a word in to stop her.
"Oh, you're all here? Pink Sausage Dragon, aren't you supposed to be on leave today? Why'd you run back to do overtime again? Careful not to overwork yourself with all this extra labor, or you won't even have the strength to unsheathe your sword."
Just as Ch'en finished changing and was ready to head out, she ran headfirst into a Feline walking quickly toward them.
Ch'en's face, which had just returned to normal, immediately soured. Merely seeing this Feline was enough to ruin her mood for the day—not that her mood was great to begin with.
"You should mind your own business, Char Siu Cat! Careful that your 'three-legged Feline' martial arts don't fail you when a real emergency hits. Don't come crying to me to save you when that happens!"
Ch'en didn't hold back in her rebuttal to Swire. The nearby officers went silent, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire of the impending "Dragon-Tiger" clash.
Everyone's pace quickened. Regardless of whether their desks were nearby, they scurried to their seats and pretended to be buried in work, while secretly waiting for the Lungmen Guard Department's unique spectacle: the Dragon vs. Tiger showdown.
"Lungmen Profanity, Pink Sausage Dragon, what is that supposed to mean? I need you to rescue me? By the time you get around to supporting me, the guy selling cheongfun on the street will have opened a nationwide franchise!"
"I wonder who it was that got chased through the streets by twenty-odd thugs when she first started? Dragging that meteor hammer behind her like a tail... why do you even use a hammer as a weapon anyway?"
The two began bickering as if no one else existed, completely ignoring the stares of the surrounding officers. The onlookers just sat there with "been there, seen that" expressions. They could practically predict the next lines of the argument; they had been fighting like this for years, and the material was getting old.
"Ladies, ladies, we have serious business to attend to. Let's go inside and talk shop. You can get back to fighting once we're done, alright? Business first..."
Hoshiguma did her best to mediate, keeping the two calm while preventing them from actually coming to blows. In all these years, no matter how heated the shouting match got—even when the screen was filled with Lungmen profanities—they had never actually fought physically. That was the only reason Hoshiguma hadn't just dragged them both away.
The two glared at each other before finally acknowledging Hoshiguma's point. Their "contest" could wait; the serious matter took priority.
"What did Wei Yenwu say? How did Ursus weapons suddenly appear right under his nose? Isn't he worried the Yan government will send someone to investigate if this gets out?"
The moment they entered the office, Ch'en's questions fired off like a machine gun, directed at the returning Swire. The barrage of questions was so thick that Swire didn't even have a chance to open her mouth.
"Let me speak first, Pink Sausage Dragon!"
Swire slammed her hand on the desk, cutting Ch'en off. Realizing she had asked a bit too much at once, Ch'en fell silent. Swire looked at the "Pink Sausage" in front of her with a sigh, feeling a strong urge to give her a piece of her mind, but she knew work came first.
"Chief Wei isn't entirely clear on why these weapons appeared in Lungmen. However, it's confirmed that these weapons weren't traded in the slums. They were hidden and traded in other sectors, but he doesn't know the specific locations yet."
Swire spoke seriously. For Wei Yenwu to admit he was "unclear" was an incredibly rare occurrence. The man whose eyes and ears covered all of Lungmen had just admitted that someone had pulled off a massive operation right under his nose. That alone proved how troublesome this enemy was.
"What does that mean? The gangs bought this stuff from somewhere outside the slums?"
Swire's words left Ch'en deeply perplexed. The LGD's cargo inspections were extremely strict, and Ch'en often personally oversaw them to prevent dangerous goods from flowing into Lungmen.
"Unclear. Chief Wei said we need to start our own investigation on this end. If he finds any leads on his side, he'll inform us immediately."
Hearing this, Ch'en knew Wei Yenwu was as clueless as they were. If she wanted to know the truth, she would have to find a way to crack this case herself.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see what the interrogation room turns up. We don't have a single lead. What are we supposed to do, search every single corporation in Lungmen with ties to Ursus?"
Ch'en frustratedly ruffled her hair. If the only clue was "Ursus," the list of suspect companies was long enough to keep the LGD busy until the day Wei Yenwu retired.
Wait for news from Wei Yenwu? Then what was the LGD even for? She didn't want the LGD to fail to find anything, only to have to rely on someone else's charity for intel.
"Perhaps we should think about how these things were brought into the city without being detected. If we find the actual transport method, the rest of the investigation will become much easier."