Poseidon in Arknights

Lin smiled at Uncle Dong, who looked displeased, and said, "Does it really matter where the Rat King is? What if everyone can't get the best fish balls?"

"Rules are rules."

Lin shook his head: "But you forgot, we're the ones who set these ridiculous rules."

Uncle Dong paused for a moment: "...That's the rule."

Lin smiled and said, "But you got beaten up for nothing, while I don't plan to hide forever."

"Pah! Heaven knows what you're up to!"

Lin stepped forward and helped Uncle Dong up: "Alright, let me help you up. After being a fish ball maker for so many years, have your skills deteriorated?"

Uncle Dong shook his head: "If I really resort to violence, I'll be targeted again. Can you help me resolve this?"

"I just want to live a peaceful life. If I get beaten, I get beaten. I've been beaten plenty of times before."

"Haha, seeing my old buddies all so energetic, I feel relieved."

Uncle Dong glanced at Lin and said irritably, "You're their target, so what are you worried about?"

"That puts my mind at ease." Lin smiled, paused for a moment, and then said, "This is just a farce, not to mention that someone is covering for us."

"Aren't you tired of always doing this? And who will cover for us? It can't be that old dragon, can it?"

Lin didn't explain, but just sighed: "I'm exhausted, but it's not the past anymore. We all have our own responsibilities, and we bear the burden of a city."

"I……"

Lin glanced at Uncle Dong, who was about to say something, and interrupted him directly, saying, "Sell your fish balls, nothing else is your business."

"Are you still able to walk? How about we go for a stroll together?"

Uncle Dong waved his hand and stood up, leaning against the wall. "It's nothing, it's not a big deal... Ouch, ouch, ouch! What are you doing!?"

Lin laughed as he watched Uncle Dong cry out in pain: "A flesh wound is still a wound. Same old story, always stubborn."

"Don't dwell on the past anymore. This is the life you chose, there's no need to feel guilty." Lin patted Uncle Dong on the shoulder. "Your fish balls are also part of Longmen, a more important part than mine."

"You are free."

Uncle Dong glanced at Lin, as if he had noticed something, and said, "Then why haven't I seen you patronizing my business?"

"...Let's change the subject. How have you been lately?"

Uncle Dong smiled, relaxed, and placed his weight on Lin's hand: "Actually, I heard that Longmen cuisine is popular in Colombia, and I originally planned to find an opportunity to develop my career there..."

"No."

"Haha, I was originally planning to do that," Uncle Dong said with a laugh. "But seeing how relaxed you look, I think something good must have happened, right?"

————Sunset Boulevard, "The End of the Earth" Bar————

"Then, boss, what year is this bottle of wine from?" Croissant took a bottle of wine, poured it into a glass, and handed it to the Emperor.

The Emperor took the glass and swirled the wine inside: "Hmm, the deep color, the lingering aroma, the sweet aftertaste, the long finish... this is..."

"The cheap wine I bought at the supermarket last month."

"Ten out of ten guesses were right! No wonder you call yourself the number one wine taster in Longmen!" Croissant gave the Emperor a thumbs up.

"Pah! How many times have I told you? These are reserve weapons, not for drinking! Empty!"

Kong sighed, took out a bottle labeled "mouthwash" from the counter, and walked over: "Okay, okay, this is mouthwash."

Croissant glanced at it and saw another original label on the bottle labeled with mouthwash: "Eh... use Yan Guo yellow wine to rinse your mouth...?"

“Alcohol can indeed disinfect. There’s industrial alcohol under the bar, it’ll do.” Texas pointed to the area under the bar.

Croissant waved her hand: "Forget it, with this money, we'd rather buy something else. The essence of spending money is the process, the process! It has nothing to do with the amount!"

Exusiai: "Everyone, the apple pie is ready! Let the party begin!"

"Oh~ it's pie baked by Exusiai herself! It's a pity I don't know where Yuzuki went, otherwise this party would be perfect."

Exusiai nodded: "That's right, Yuuki promised me she would make me dessert."

“Exusiai, I don’t remember agreeing to this.” Yuuki pushed open the door and dragged Skadi inside by the collar with one hand.

"No, you promised! You said you'd make desserts once this was resolved!" Exusiai immediately spoke up upon hearing Yuuki's voice, turning to look at the person Yuuki had dragged in, a strange expression on her face.

"Where did you drag that person from?"

The Emperor walked over and glanced at Skadi, who had been dragged in: "Oh, Deepsea Hunter, I think I know what happened."

"I guess so. Anyway, the matter is resolved." Yu Yue hugged Hong who rushed over and patted her head.

“Mom…” Red looked over Yuuki’s shoulder at Skadi, who was still clinging to Yuuki even in her unconscious state.

"It's okay, Hong."

"I don't mind how you deal with her, as long as she doesn't destroy the house." The Emperor patted Xi Yue's leg.

"Don't worry, I'll trap her before she transforms into a husky that wreaks havoc." Yu Yue replied to the Emperor with a smile, then raised her hand to create a water sphere that enveloped Skadi and sent her into a room inside the tavern.

Seeing the topic gradually veer off-topic, Sora silently complained, "It turned out like this without me even realizing it, but what kind of party was this again?"

"Hmm? Bison's welcome party?" Exusiai casually replied, placing the apple pie on the table.

"So here's the question: Bison's welcome party, but where was Bison himself?"

After hearing Sora's question, Exusiai thought for a moment and confidently replied, "Hmm! I don't know!"

The Emperor waved his hand: "Then let's find another excuse. We'll never run out of excuses."

Just then, Bison pushed open the door and entered, looking at the people inside: "...What are you doing?"

Croissant looked at Bison and scratched his face with a slightly embarrassed expression: "Uh... waiting for you to throw a party, I guess."

"Ah, welcome to the end of the earth." The Emperor looked at Bison without any embarrassment. "Latecomers are punished with three cups of wine, and the protagonist is punished with three times the penalty for being late, but you can't drink alcohol, so please have nine cups of soda."

Bison seems to be focusing on the wrong thing: "Why is it called this name..."

Exusiai pulled Bison in: "Don't just stand there, come in. This is your welcome party. Would you like a slice of apple pie? Of course, you can also chat with me and make desserts for us."

“…No.” Bison looked at the relaxed group of people. “So while Miss Mostima and I were dealing with those mafia members, you guys were having a party here.”

"So... what about the leader?"

Texas took a piece of apple pie and started eating: "He got away."

The emperor took a sip of wine: "To be precise, I gave him permission to run away."

Bison sighed: "They just ran away... So what do we do now?"

“The number of enemies, their purpose, and their identities are already quite clear,” Texas said while eating an apple pie. “It’s the Syracuse mafia that wants to seize Penguin Logistics’ sphere of influence in Lungmen.”

Texas paused for a moment, then added or emphasized, "Although we should be a logistics company... never mind."

"Don't take it to heart, Texas. There will always be a few days when we need to clean house."

Croissant chuckled upon hearing Sora's words and said, "Saying things like that makes it even less like a proper company, doesn't it?"

"I wish you guys had the awareness that we're a legitimate company." Yuuki pulled a bottle of liquor from the bar and opened it. "Since this is a welcome party, is anyone brave enough to come and drink?"

Unfortunately, everyone present ignored Yuuki, who had extended the drinking invitation. After all, no one would face themselves in a battle they could never win.

Exusiai tried to steer the conversation back to another topic so that Yuuki would put down the bottle of wine in her hand: "They've worked for nothing. Even if you handed over the boss's businesses, they still wouldn't be able to make a living."

Emperor also confidently echoed Exusiai's words, saying, "Penguin Logistics is irreplaceable, and I am even more irreplaceable."

Bison nodded: "If that's the case, we have many solutions, why must we fight them?"

"do not know."

Bison looked at Texas sitting at the bar, speechless: "I don't know... how have you guys been all this time..."

The Emperor didn't care and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, don't take it so seriously. Just find a chance to beat up their leader and throw him into the river, and that'll be the end of it, right?"

"This farce is a waste of time, just like taking a nap when you can't fall asleep. I have absolutely no interest in it."

Exusiai nodded: "Exactly, this isn't something worth discussing seriously. Here, have some gum."

“…Sigh.” Bison sighed, took the chewing gum Exusiai handed him, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. “But at least we should make a plan…wait, what does this chewing gum taste like?”

Exusiai looked at the remaining chewing gum in her hand: "White Horse Pure Flavor".

"Let's classify this brand of chewing gum as a dangerous good, Croissant."

Croissant nodded: "I just ordered the new flavors as soon as I saw them, without paying attention, hehe."

The Emperor jumped onto the sofa and slammed his hand on the table: "Hey, are you guys still having a party? There's wine and food, but where's the music?"

Exusiai chuckled, "Don't rush, boss. Isn't Yuuki back? I'm thinking of asking her to cook for us."

"I just got back. Isn't it a bit unfair that Exusiai is exploiting me like this?" Yuuki glanced at Exusiai and put the drink in her hand on the table. "Besides, didn't you already prepare the food?"

Exusiai walked to the speaker with a disappointed look on her face.

“It’s jazz again…” Bison listened to the music and recalled what happened the last time he listened to jazz.

Exusiai waved her hand dismissively: "The previous owner here was indeed a jazz enthusiast, but there were some minor stylistic changes after it was transferred to the owner."

Kong glanced around at his surroundings and muttered to himself, "Quan Xiaoxiao?"

"The main reason is that all of the boss's own records were just..."

The Emperor interrupted Texas, saying, "Stop. Don't remind me of those sad memories."

"In the end, it's his fault for being diagnosed with that troublesome illness. I'm already being kind enough to take time out of my busy schedule to help him take care of this bar."

Upon hearing the diagnosis, Bison instinctively said, "Could it be Oripathy? But Lungmen's attitude towards the infected should be much better than other cities..."

"No." The Emperor paused, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "It's an alcohol allergy."

“…” Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, Bison’s lips twitched slightly. “Ah, an alcohol allergy.”

Croissant nodded seriously: "For a guy who aspires to be the best bartender in Lungmen, it really is a terminal illness."

Just as everyone was gathered around the dining table, ready to eat, a loud screech of brakes came from outside the door.

Xi Yue downed her drink in one gulp: "Looks like today is anything but peaceful."

The Emperor shook his head: "How come some dirty things have broken in again? Hey, you lot, if you want to live, get behind the bar right now."

"Understood!" Croissant slid across the bar, pressing down on the table with one hand.

"Ah, there's a coin under the counter, what a win!" Exusiai, having flipped over the counter, spotted a shiny coin on the floor with her sharp eyes using her wings and quickly picked it up.