In reality, even if Lucas Reeve hadn't intervened, Rope would have been fine. After all, the Lungmen Guard Department (L.G.D.) was already on the way, so there was no way that group of Mafia members from Siracusa was getting away.
With the arrival of the L.G.D., the Mafia members were handed over to them for processing. As the person involved, Rope, and the sole designated witness, Sora, were naturally brought to the L.G.D. to give their statements.
The person taking their statements was Officer Ch'en herself.
Since both of them were victims, Officer Ch'en's attitude wasn't overly harsh. She tried her best to appear somewhat amicable. However, Officer Ch'en, much like Kal'tsit, seemed incapable of feigning a friendly expression. Despite trying her best to soften her features, she still gave off a 'resting bitch face' vibe.
Truly... RBF Ch'en.
To be honest, Officer Ch'en didn't have much to ask.
After all, the motives of these Siracusan Mafia members were obvious. Rope also told the truth, admitting they had come for those few packets of dark blue powder. Officer Ch'en knew about those packets. Although Rope hadn't handed them to Officer Ch'en at the time, she had given them to another, very loud-mouthed Senior Superintendent at the L.G.D., a fact Officer Ch'en was certainly aware of.
"Officer Ch'en, what exactly was in those packets? Was it... that stuff?"
At the table, Rope suddenly asked while digging into the L.G.D.'s special-issue pork cutlet bowl.
"Don't ask what you're not supposed to ask."
Officer Ch'en shook her head, flat-out refusing to answer Rope's question.
"Oh~"
Rope was still quite intimidated by Officer Ch'en. Seeing that she didn't want to answer, she simply buried her head and focused on shoveling rice from her bowl, saying no more.
"So, who took down these ten-odd burly Mafia guys?"
Officer Ch'en got to the main point.
Although she could have handled ten-odd Mafia members herself, there was no way the two girls in front of her could have. Officer Ch'en knew Rope quite well—an excellent thief, but her combat skills were mediocre at best, probably not even one-tenth as impressive as her thievery. It was highly unlikely she could even take on one of them, let alone over a dozen.
As for Sora, standing beside her... Officer Ch'en was also quite familiar with her.
She was a famous idol in Lungmen. Ch'en had watched her grow from a minor idol to a major star who could draw tens of thousands to a concert. She was also a member of the annoying Penguin Logistics. However, compared to that red-haired devil Exusiai, Sora was, at best, just a little idol. Her combat prowess was basically on par with Rope's, 50/50, and not a bit higher.
So... how did these burly men end up on the floor?
According to the report from the injury assessment department, all ten-odd men had injuries to the head, uniformly knocked unconscious by powerful blows. That kind of force... Officer Ch'en admitted she was capable of it, but there was another point she couldn't explain. The burly man who seemed to be the leader was in even worse shape.
His right hand was deformed to a ridiculous degree. Based on the injury and the marks, it was almost certainly crushed by hand. And that grip mark... at first glance, it didn't look human. Most critically, besides the severe fractures in his hand, his right palm also had severe burns. In fact, the skin of his palm had already turned to charcoal. This possibility...
Officer Ch'en had also heard from the surrounding crowd that from the moment Sora entered Rope's house and closed the door until she herself broke the door down, less than two minutes had passed.
Two minutes.
Over a dozen burly men...
What the hell???
Officer Ch'en questioned if even she had the ability to take down over a dozen burly men—all of them combat personnel, not ordinary people—in just over a minute.
Although she desperately wanted to know what had happened inside, both of them were victims and had even helped Lungmen strike against foreign forces. If they didn't want to talk, Officer Ch'en couldn't press them.
After Rope finished her pork cutlet bowl, she and Sora left the L.G.D.
"Whew! That's the first time I've ever left the L.G.D. so quickly, hee hee."
Because Sora had saved her, Rope now felt completely and utterly attached to her. This was probably the first time in over a decade that Rope had trusted someone so deeply.
"You used to come here often?" Lucas Reeve asked casually.
Rope was still a bit scared of Lucas Reeve. After all, the image of him transforming into a nearly four-meter-tall flaming bear had left a deep shadow on her, one that wouldn't fade anytime soon.
"Pretty much. I'm a regular at the L.G.D., you know."
"Back when I used to steal things, whenever I felt like dropping by, I'd deliberately leave some clues for the L.G.D. to catch me. The first time, they'd interrogate me, but after I went a few more times, they didn't even bother. They'd just toss me in a cell, send over a pork cutlet bowl... it was super comfy. Going back to the holding cell was like going home. The people inside talk so nicely, too. I love it in there."
Rope's speech had the air of an unrepentant petty thief. He was half-afraid she'd steal a scooter battery on her way out of the L.G.D.
"The sky's already dark, Sora. I'm heading back..."
Rope looked up at the darkened sky, reluctant to part with Sora. Or rather, Sora was probably the first true friend she felt she could connect with in all these years.
But...
She was just an Infected from the slums, while the other was a young lady from the Upper District. It was impossible for them to have any real connection. Besides, she probably only came to the slums to find inspiration, and now that she'd found it, she was probably heading back.
*No... Next time the L.G.D. comes to hand out donations, I need to see if I can snag a bed. Sleeping on cardboard is fine, but I really want to try what a bed feels like.*
Rope prepared to leave, but her left hand was suddenly grabbed by Sora.
"Come back with me, Rope. My place only has me living there anyway. I'll set up an extra bed for you. You can just live with me from now on."
Sora's heart truly ached for Rope. She couldn't bear to let this young girl return to her old life.
"This...."
"No! No way!"
Rope quickly refused.
"I... I'm an Infected, and I'm from the slums... How could I....."
Before Rope could finish, Sora grabbed her and started running toward the edge of the Civilian District.
Rope let Sora pull her along, not resisting, just running closely behind her. Lucas Reeve sat on Sora's shoulder, looking like a very mature plushie with his arms crossed.
The two girls and one plushie ran down the wide, mostly empty road. The moonlight spilled its silver brilliance from the sky, like a white veil, draping over the three of them. Sora smiled sweetly. Lucas Reeve had his eyes closed, smiling with his arms crossed. And Rope looked as if she was about to burst into tears, which were already welling up in her eyes.
As they drew closer and closer to the Upper District, Rope's heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat, pounding non-stop.
The entrance to the Upper District was manned by special guards, but no one stopped Sora as she entered. When Rope crossed the boundary between the Civilian District and the Upper District, she felt as if she had entered a new world, a world completely different from the slums she had grown up in for eighteen years.
Skyscrapers, streets as bright as day despite the night, and bustling traffic. Every pedestrian looked so glamorous.
The three of them soon arrived at Sora's apartment.
"Just a heads-up, I'm not some noble young lady. I'm just a struggling wage-worker here in the Upper District, too."
Sora invited Rope inside. Rope entered cautiously. The apartment wasn't large, only a few dozen square meters, and the decor was average but cozy. A place like this was very common in the Upper District, but to Rope, it was no different from a palace. In fact... Rope felt it was even better than a palace. After all, a palace was an intangible fantasy, but a home like this was exactly what Rope had once dreamed of.
Sora eagerly washed various fruits for Rope, then picked out some of her own clothes from the closet for Rope to change into after a shower.
Suddenly... Rope noticed Sora's own promotional poster on the wall.
A moment later....
Her eyes flew wide open.
"...."
"Ahhhhhh!!"
"What's wrong?!"
Rope's scream made Sora jump in fright.
Rope pointed at Sora's poster on the wall, her eyes wide!
"You! You! You!! You're Sora!!"
Rope's eyes were huge, her mouth agape, her face a mask of disbelief.
Sora was a little confused. "My name is Sora, yes?"
Rope shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, you're... that idol who's been super popular in Lungmen recently, Sora!!"
"Huh???"
Lucas Reeve, who was eating fruit on the side, froze. Although he was a plushie, the power within his body had modified him to be able to eat. However, the food didn't turn into energy; it would instantly dissipate after entering his body, at most letting him taste the flavor.
"You're really only recognizing her now, Rope?" Lucas Reeve couldn't help but butt in.
Rope nodded in shock. "I... I... Actually, I thought Miss Sora looked familiar from the beginning, but just familiar. I never connected her to the idol, Miss Sora, and then... I saw this poster and it hit me."
Actually, it wasn't surprising that Rope didn't recognize her. After all... most people only recognized Sora through posters and the like.
And everyone knows what posters are like: makeup, heavy editing.
Even though Sora herself was naturally pretty, she still looked a bit different from her no-makeup self after all the makeup and editing. Plus, Sora hadn't bothered to dress up when she went to the slums. While she still looked good, it was hard to connect her to a glamorous idol. When Rope first heard her name, she hadn't thought much of it. Now, seeing the poster, it all clicked instantly.
"I!! I'm actually staying at Miss Sora's house!! Ooh!"
Rope was so excited she flopped right onto the carpet.
In fact, this phenomenon was normal. In his past life, Lucas Reeve enjoyed photography and photo editing as a hobby in college and often helped cosplayers with photoshoots and edits. Basically, no-makeup and light-makeup were two different faces. Light-makeup and heavy-makeup were two different faces. Real-life and a photo were two different faces. A photo and the final edited picture were two different faces.
Therefore, a final cosplay photo and the person's real face were often eight faces apart. It would be strange if you *could* recognize them at a glance. Lucas Reeve figured that even their parents probably wouldn't recognize their own kid in a final photo.
The most awkward situation Lucas Reeve had encountered in his past life was when a female friend he was on good terms with sent him a photo. It was a picture of her with absolutely no makeup, a bare face. And Lucas Reeve had asked...
"Who's the person in the photo?"
——————
Lungmen Guard Department.
After sending Sora and Rope off, Officer Ch'en didn't get off work. Instead, she hurried to another interrogation room. Unlike Rope, this group of burly men was in a proper interrogation room.
The lights glared brightly. An officer skilled in interrogation was using harsh words to break down the suspect's spirit.
For Officer Ch'en, there was no such thing as 'getting off work'. If she had to define 'getting off work', it would probably be...
When there wasn't a single criminal left in all of Lungmen, and not a single enemy outside its walls. Maybe then she could get off work.
Inside the interrogation room, another Senior Superintendent, Swire, was leaning against the wall, dozing off. The cute little tiger looked like an exhausted student napping against the wall, a trail of glistening drool trickling from the corner of her mouth all the way to the floor. Only when Officer Ch'en tapped her on the shoulder did Swire finally jolt awake.
Rubbing her drowsy eyes, Swire said, half-asleep, "Ya, it's the Rice Noodle Dragon. Are we off work?"
A cross-shaped vein throbbed on Officer Ch'en's forehead. She rapped Swire hard on the head.
"Overtime tonight...."
"Ah....."
About two more hours passed, and it was already deep into the night. The two Senior Superintendents finally received the results of the interrogation.
Nearby, Hoshiguma, who was eating a late-night snack of deep-fried stinky tofu, craned her neck to read the report. The little tiger smelled the aroma and couldn't resist having Hoshiguma feed her a few bites, while Officer Ch'en's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"As expected, from Siracusa."
Officer Ch'en wasn't surprised.
"From Famiglia Venezia."
Hoshiguma paused. "Hey, Old Ch'en, isn't that Famiglia Venezia family on the verge of collapsing recently?"
"It's precisely because they're on the verge of collapsing that they have to take such risks."
Officer Ch'en said as she flipped through the report.
"Their winning ticket must be that dark blue powder Rope handed over. Though I'm puzzled as to how a few bags of powder could possibly be their key to turning things around. Unfortunately, these guys are just peripheral members of Famiglia Venezia. They only know the powder is useful, but not what it's specifically for. Has the powder been sent for analysis?"
Hoshiguma nodded. "It was sent a few days ago. We really have Rope to thank this time."
"Indeed," Swire agreed.
Hoshiguma decided to strike while the iron was hot.
"Rope performed a great service this time, and her character isn't bad. Plus, she's skilled, and her thieving abilities could be very useful to us at the L.G.D. How about we recruit her as auxiliary police? What do you say, Old Ch'en?"
Officer Ch'en didn't speak. After a moment, she finally said slowly, "Let's observe her for a while longer. Put Rope's name on the assessment list for auxiliary police."
Now that the interrogation was over, the three of them could finally get off work. Hoshiguma was about to invite her two colleagues out for a drink and a late-night snack.
Suddenly, Officer Ch'en's phone rang. The ringtone seemed to give all three of them a bad feeling.
*Please don't be more overtime!*
*Please don't be more overtime!!*
"Hello...."
Suddenly, Officer Ch'en frowned.
"What?! Something happened at the lab?!"