Man on the ark, forced to become king

"Alright, sit down first, let's talk while you're seated."

Hoshiguma reached out and pressed down on their shoulders, forcefully pushing them into chairs. She patted her head and said helplessly, "Beatlex... never mind, Swire is easier to pronounce. What's wrong with you?"

"I……"

Swire, who was arguing with Chen just a second ago, shrank back in fear when Hoshiguma asked her that question, and even lowered her voice.

"It's nothing, it's just... I wanted to join the Guard Bureau, so I came here."

"..."

Hoshiguma wanted to say that even ghosts wouldn't believe her, but considering that she was a demon herself, she ultimately changed her approach.

"And then? Joining the Guard Bureau shouldn't be too difficult for someone with your abilities, so what's this about a Senior Superintendent?"

"It's an internship, an internship..."

Swire's attitude towards Hoshiguma was completely different; she spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Isn't this Guard Bureau location a bit old? And there's the new city area that Lungmen is building... And then, I'll be a Senior Superintendent, right? Uncle Wei said that as long as I do a good job and gain recognition within the Guard Bureau, I can be promoted to a permanent Senior Superintendent position. I'm sure I'll succeed!"

Wow, so it's all about money...

After hearing her explanation, Hoshiguma finally understood what had happened.

Putting everything else aside, just renovating the Guard Bureau's headquarters would be worthy of a senior superintendent. If there were more people like that, the chief would be grinning from ear to ear.

Having money really does mean you can do whatever you want; a working stiff like her can't even imagine how much money that would cost.

However, Chen would probably be greatly affected by this, right?

Hoshiguma glanced at Chen and saw that her fist was clenched tightly under the table, as if she was about to hit someone on the head.

But there's nothing we can do about it; Swire just gave us way too much...

"Gaining the approval of the Guard Bureau is no easy feat, and what you did today has already lowered your image."

"..."

Hearing her say that, Swire's heart skipped a beat. She had been so caught up in showing off to Changfen Long that she had forgotten about this.

Indeed, nobody likes having a random person barge in and make a scene during work hours.

Moreover, she was parachuted in as a senior police superintendent...

But it's not impossible.

After going through all sorts of thoughts, Swire made up her mind, stood up from her chair, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "I noticed when I came that the Guard Bureau's equipment seems to be a bit outdated, and these uniforms also need to be replaced with better ones. I'll talk to the director later and sponsor the Guard Bureau with a batch of brand-new equipment and uniforms produced by Raytheon Industries."

"By the way, starting today, for the next month, all colleagues from the Royal Guard can go to the Pacific Hotel for a meal by showing their ID. This is limited to one time only, and I will pay for everything!"

Upon hearing this, the entire office fell silent, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Immediately following was a burst of enthusiastic cheers.

"What a good man!"

"Superintendent Swire, would you like some hot water to soothe your throat?"

"Thank you, Commander Swire!"

……

At that moment, the officers of the inspection team forgot all about the commotion and the arrival of the new commander.

That's equipment made by Thor Industries! It's a much higher-end product than what they're using now!

And then there's the Taikoo Hotel... that's the most luxurious hotel in Lungmen. They have to save up for several months to barely afford to go there once. Now they've gotten a free meal without doing anything. Where else can you find such a good deal?

If all newly appointed superiors were this generous, they would wish for one to be appointed every day. She's giving way too much!

"Hmph, trying to win people's hearts, how shameful."

Chen gave a sour snort, her eyes fixed on the clock on the table. She just wanted to fast forward to the end of the workday so this terrible afternoon could end quickly.

It's just equipment from Raytheon Industries... and a meal at the Taikoo Hotel, right?

Does that mean she can't afford to buy or go to Swire?

Well... she really can't afford it or go there right now... unless she goes home, or goes to Wei Yanwu...

Even so, she would never be bought off by such a paltry sum!

"Hmph, you might as well admit defeat now, Rice Noodle Dragon."

With the plan a great success, Swire became happy again and couldn't help but continue to tease Chen.

"Shut up, you char siu cat!"

Chen's mood worsened, and he glared back, the two of them bracing themselves against the table, their tension rising.

"Quiet, quiet down..."

Seeing that they were at each other's throats again, Hoshiguma felt even more exasperated. These two were probably just born to be incompatible.

She had a very bad feeling that her happy life of slacking off was probably over from today onwards.

Chapter Seven: News of Talulah

20:10 PM. Weather: Cloudy.

Longmen, the central area.

After a long and tedious day at work, Inspector Chen walked home in a terrible mood, taking a full hour to walk and buying a plate of rice noodle rolls for dinner.

Pedestrians strolled along the street, billboards flashed on both sides, and laughter or lively conversations could be heard from time to time.

Chen walked through the crowd carrying his rice noodle rolls, finding them noisy.

Waiting in the office for the workday to end was pure torture; Swire's loud voice even made her feel like she was experiencing mild tinnitus.

I'm so annoyed, so incredibly annoyed.

Is that char siu cat stuffed with a megaphone in its throat? It should be working as a salesperson in a shopping mall or square, not making noise in the Guard Bureau!

Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself as Swire's smug smile flashed through his mind.

To be fair, she didn't really dislike Swire. After all, they had known each other since childhood and studied together at the Royal Guard College in Victoria, so they had a good relationship.

Officer Chen doesn't have many friends, less than ten in total, one of whom is Swire.

That guy was just so noisy! And he always found new ways to tease her, finding pleasure in it!

That's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!

Only Hoshiguma could put up with her.

Shaking her head, Chen tried hard to banish that hateful smiling face from her mind. All she wanted now was to go home quickly, enjoy her dinner, and then lie in bed for a good night's sleep.

I hope there is no Shi Huai-ya in my dreams.

As he walked and pondered, before he knew it, a courtyard with a distinctly Yan-style layout appeared before him. Chen looked up listlessly at the open gate, then slumped inside. Unexpectedly, he bumped into Safra, a girl carrying a garbage bag, as soon as he entered.

"List?"

Nine's light blue eyes reflected the girl's dejected figure. He scratched his head, almost thinking he had mistaken her for someone else.

She had never seen Chen like this before. He looked like he had just had a huge argument with someone, was exhausted, and had lost. He was radiating a low-pressure atmosphere of utter despair.

"What? You got into a fight with someone?"

"It's nine... No, that's not true."

Chen Yi waved his hand listlessly, hesitated for a moment, and asked in a low voice, "Is anyone home?"

"Lady Lin Lu and Lady Melina are both here. They were just talking about you. It seems there's something related to you."

After thinking for a moment, Jiu gave an uncertain answer.

"Something related to me?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Chen's eyes, and he nodded, saying, "Then you go throw out the trash, I'll go check."

What could be related to me?

It can't be... a bad thing, right?

They say misfortunes never come singly. I've already had enough bad luck today, being tormented by Swire for half an afternoon. Surely not?

While pondering various guesses, Chen unconsciously walked into the courtyard where the golden tree was planted, and saw Melina and Lin Lu sitting under the tree talking.

The aroma of rice noodle rolls wafted out from the gap in his hand. Chen felt a little hungry, but decided to listen to what it was about first.

"Did you get a scolding at the bureau?"

Lin Lu also noticed the little dragon walking over, and after taking a look, she was a little puzzled.

What happened? It looks like he was severely reprimanded... Could it be that he assaulted a criminal in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras and got punished? Or did he violate some regulations and get his wages docked?

"No, an annoying guy came today. You... need something from me?"

If possible, Chen didn't want to talk about Swire, lest he keep bothering her in his dreams if he talked too much about it.

"Yes, it's about your sister."

"Sister? Talulah?"