A Maybach on a rainy night? Talk to my Levadin!

He slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and leaned back in the recliner, but this time his back was taut and straight, no longer relaxed as before.

If it really is Talulah, there's no reason she wouldn't contact Wei Yanwu first if she wanted to come back. Unless—she didn't want Wei Yanwu to know she was coming back this time.

Given the news from Ursus spies a few days ago that Grand Duke Kosichean had been assassinated and the murderer, Talulah, was missing, Talulah's appearance here now becomes quite intriguing.

The Rat King knew Koschche all too well; they used to fight like madmen every day, and he had experienced firsthand just how troublesome that immortal black snake was.

This Dragon Gate was taken from his hands.

Why would Talulah appear in Lungmen at this time? Was it to escape Ursus's pursuit? Or was Koschei's death a hoax, and Talulah came to Lungmen with a secret mission from Koschei?

Why is there a strange man with Talulah? Who is he? Is he a new ally of Talulah, or someone sent by Koschei to spy on her? What is their purpose? And why are they in the slums?

Were they drawn to the slums' "no man's land" nature, hoping to hide their activities there? Or were the slums their primary target?

Lin Gerui sensed a conspiracy in it.

"No, we can't rush it."

The Rat King muttered to himself, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a gesture.

A shop assistant from a nearby audio-visual store quickly approached the Rat King.

"Leading Enterprise"

"A silver-haired Draco has arrived in the outer ring. Go and find her whereabouts, secretly monitor her movements, and be extremely careful not to be discovered."

"Okay, sir," the man nodded and prepared to leave.

The Rat King suddenly remembered something and called out, "Oh right, investigate that man next to her more carefully. Who is he?"

He was preparing for the worst, but at the same time, he was also looking forward to another possibility.

"I wonder what Wei Lao Er's reaction will be when he finds out that Talulah brought a man back..."

PS: Finally, finally all my luggage is settled. Next, I need to buy a new pair of headphones.

Chapter 218 Chen Huijie.

Meanwhile, at the Lungmen Guard Bureau.

The atmosphere at the Lungmen Guard Bureau was unusually tense today. The corridors inside the building were filled with the sounds of footsteps, calls from communicators, and the rustling of documents being turned. The occasional chatter that could be heard on ordinary days had disappeared without a trace. Everyone's face was tense, and even their breathing was more rapid than usual.

The entire Guard Bureau was bustling with activity, while in the special maintenance area on the west side of the building, members of the Special Inspection Team were fully armed and making final preparations. Everyone was checking their equipment quickly and precisely, and the sound of metal clanging was particularly clear in the quiet maintenance area.

This elite team included Chen Huijie, who had recently joined the Guard Bureau.

Chen Huijie's resume is no secret within the Royal Guard Bureau—she attended the prestigious Victoria Royal Guard School, where she not only excelled in all regular subjects with A grades, but also received a joint recommendation from all her instructors, an achievement that is rare among the school's graduates in the past decade.

After graduation, despite receiving offers from several elite organizations in Victoria, she did not hesitate and resolutely gave up the lucrative opportunities in other places. She returned to her hometown, Lungmen, and started from scratch as an ordinary police officer, joining the Lungmen Guard Bureau and working her way up to where she is today.

Chen Huijie's personality was hard for her colleagues in the Guard Bureau to handle. She was too strict and too demanding. She always required the people around her to do their best, never compromising or being sloppy. Even when facing senior agents with more experience than her, she would never lower her standards because of personal relationships.

Such a personality naturally makes her seem very unapproachable, which also causes some operators who are used to being flexible and easygoing to complain. In private, colleagues often complain in the break room that she is "too rigid" and "inflexible". Many people are even watching in secret, hoping that her "lack of social skills" will eventually get her into the complicated power struggles between the various factions within the Guard Bureau.

He never mentioned his uncle, who held the position of governor, to anyone, nor did he ever use that relationship to his advantage. But those two dragon horns were enough for anyone with eyes to see what kind of status a dragon held in the Great Yan Dynasty. Those who knew, knew. This dragon descendant who came to experience life was really too uncouth.

But to everyone's surprise, Chen Huijie's promotion speed since joining the Lungmen Guard Bureau was astonishing, and she never relied on her background, connections, or so-called "small whims of power".

She relied on sheer hard work and dedication.

She fought harder than any other member of the Guard Bureau. When carrying out missions, she never considered the danger; she was always the first to rush to the front, never hesitating even when facing enemies many times her size. She never retreated, would not retreat, and did not know how to retreat. In her dictionary, the words "fear" and "give up" seemed to be nonexistent.

Whenever there's a major security incident, you can always see her at the scene: gang fights, smuggling rings, violent clashes, and illegally imported mercenaries...

She always takes the lead in battle, and countless times, it is because of her timely appearance and decisive actions that she has saved the lives of the Guardian Bureau agents who were in danger. After returning to the Guardian Bureau, she is also able to handle the mountain of official documents in the office with ease.

In the eyes of many Guardian Bureau operators, aside from her really bad personality, always wearing a stern face, and not knowing how to be tactful in her speech and actions, which occasionally makes people feel embarrassed, Chen Huijie is almost a perfect person - top-notch professional skills, extremely responsible, dedicated to her work, strict with her colleagues but never with bad intentions, and even willing to risk her life to protect those around her at critical moments.

This made her the fastest-rising officer in Lungmen Police history, from a regular officer to a squad leader, and then to a key member of the department; each promotion was well-deserved. Later, she was even promoted directly to the elite Special Inspectorate, becoming one of its youngest members. At her current pace, if she successfully handles a few more major cases, another promotion is likely just around the corner.

The head of the special inspection team strode to the front of the group in his leather boots, slapping his hand on the information board. The outline of the Ursus infected gang in the yellowed photo exuded a menacing aura.

"Everyone, breaking news! A violent gang of infected individuals smuggled in from Ursus is selling contraband in Lungmen. According to reliable intelligence from our informants, this group is fully armed. Moreover, infected individuals from Ursus are often extremely vicious, making this situation extremely dangerous. If anyone doesn't want to participate, please speak up."

The special inspection team leader is addressing a group of elite police officers.

No one spoke up, and no one took any action.

The team leader suddenly grinned, revealing a hint of fierceness: "Good! This is the tough nut to crack for the Lungmen Guard Bureau!"

He abruptly raised his hand and tapped the information board with his knuckles. "The safety of the citizens of Lungmen depends on us today! Everyone, check your equipment properly. When you see these bastards later, don't hold back! You have to detain them all!"

"set off!"

Armored vehicles drove out of the Guard Bureau, their lights flashing as they lined up on the road. The convoy stretched out in a single file, tires kicking up gravel as they sped toward the intelligence location. The sirens echoed between the buildings as they rushed toward the scene.

Inside the armored vehicle, the tall female demon leaned back in her seat, the demon horns on her shoulder armor scraping against the roof with a slight clatter. She tugged at the collar of her tactical uniform, sighed, and said with a hint of helpless mockery, "Ugh, this job just never ends. I was planning to leave on time tonight and go for a couple of drinks at our usual spot, but that's ruined again."

Chen Huijie sat opposite, her fingers meticulously reviewing the equipment list. Without even looking up, she said, "Members of the inspection team should be on standby 24 hours a day. Violent conflict could break out in Lungmen at any time. Dealing with emergencies is our responsibility and duty."

Hoshiguma waved his hand with a smile and joked, "Oh, I know, I know, Commander Chen! Stop nagging me. I was just complaining."

Chen Huijie frowned slightly and immediately corrected, "To be precise, I am not your superior. We are equals within the inspection team. Your calling me 'superior' violates the hierarchical regulations of the Lungmen Guard Bureau."

What is your purpose in coming to Terra?

"What do you mean?"

"Are you human?"

P.S.: Backkom seems to still be airing. Just as I was writing this, an earthquake struck somewhere, and the aftershocks even hit me. The floor started shaking halfway through my writing...

Chapter 219 Localized Necrosis.

"Someone is following us." As they walked, Xia Mi noticed some suspicious figures and quietly reminded Zhao Zizhan.

"I know"

"When did you know that?"

"When they first started following..."

"So...aren't you going to do anything about it? Are you just going to let them follow us like this?"

"Didn't you notice that I'm heading towards a sparsely populated open area?"

"Oh? Right...that's why I was wondering why you came here..."

At this moment, behind the mottled brick wall at the alley entrance, several figures clung tightly to the wall, like pieces of dirt embedded in the shadows. The man in the lead pulled his hat brim down low, revealing only half of his mouth with a cigarette butt dangling from his lips, secretly watching Zhao Zizhan and his group.

"Brother, something's not right. Why are these people heading into such remote areas?"

The man stubbed his cigarette butt on the ground, sparks flying from his shoe, and a cruel smile crept across his lips: "Isn't that even better?"

He licked his lips and whispered to the person next to him, "Look at this group of people, dressed smartly, one man with three women, strolling around like they're in a park, without any sense of danger. Aren't they easy targets?"

"Looking at them, I was worried they'd run into the city and get in the way of the Royal Guard. But now they're choosing the path to hell over the path to heaven. The more remote the place, the less likely they are to be caught, and they can slip away quickly after they've done their business. Isn't that perfect?"

He rubbed his hands together, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "If we can pull off this job, the money we get will be enough for us to live a life of luxury in the slums for months! Once we've succeeded, we'll just disappear into the slums, and even if the Guards come, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack—they won't be able to find us at all!"

"But boss, this group of fat sheep seems to have attracted a lot of people." Xiao looked around and saw that there were quite a few thugs with the same goal as them gathering nearby.

There are naturally quite a few people with crooked ideas. After all, the main business of this industry is searching, attacking, and withdrawing. If you can get something, you make money. As for whether you get something from a fat sheep or from your competitors, it doesn't matter. When you really run into someone, whoever has the stronger fist will speak.

But they didn't notice that further behind them, a figure was moving along the base of the wall—that was Jie.

Wrapped in a thick black coat, with a hat and mask covering himself completely, he followed behind.

Earlier at the stall, Zizai had overheard Talulah mention Uncle Dong, so he assumed Zhao Zizhan was an acquaintance of Uncle Dong. Seeing this group of thugs sneaking around following Zhao Zizhan, he had a thought. Although there were plenty of thugs in the slums who would steal, and he usually didn't bother with other people's business, he couldn't stand by and watch Uncle Dong's acquaintance get into trouble. So, after Zhao Zizhan and his group had walked away, he quickly packed up his fish ball stall, locked it, and followed them, thinking that if anything happened, he could at least lend a hand.

But as he followed them, Jie's doubts grew stronger and stronger—at first there were only three or four people following them, but how come several more figures appeared at street corners and alleyways as they walked? These people were wearing different clothes, but they were all staring in the direction of those people, and the intentions in their eyes were all too clear.

He frowned, then quietly shrank further into the shadows, wondering to himself: Why are there more and more people following me? Could this group not be ordinary tourists?

When the Rat King spoke, almost all the gang members in the slums sprang into action, searching for a silver-haired Draco. With almost everyone in the slums acting as informants, it was incredibly easy. However, those responsible for tracking him also noticed that something seemed amiss.

One of the men looked at Zhao Zizhan's figure in the distance, his brows furrowed, and said in a deep voice into the walkie-talkie, "What do you say? The person Rat King asked us to keep an eye on seems to be being watched by those thugs. Look at the weapons they're holding, they look like they're about to make a move. Should we go and deal with them? Don't ruin Rat King's plans."

The road became increasingly remote, and the houses on both sides transformed from low-rise residential buildings into abandoned factories, even the wind carrying a rusty smell. More and more people were following them, making it increasingly difficult to conceal their tracks. Some had to emerge from behind walls, pretending to be casual passersby, but glancing back every now and then; others simply followed behind, closing the distance further and further.

"Something's not right,"

The tall, thin henchman suddenly stopped. "They seem to be heading towards those Northwesterners' territory! That dilapidated factory over there is where the Ursus are stationed!"

Seeing the direction Zhao Zizhan and his men were heading, the henchman in charge sensed something was wrong.

A little over a month ago, a group of Northbrooks from Ursus arrived in Lungmen. They were smuggled in and, through sheer ruthlessness, established themselves in Lungmen.

The illegal immigrants in Ursus are notoriously reckless, unlike people from other places.

The Rat King established his gang in the slums, setting three rules: no live ammunition, no deaths, and no involving ordinary people in gang fights. If anyone violated these rules, there would be no place for them to stand in the outer ring of Dragon Gate.

From that day on, the funeral business in Longmen entered a period of decline. Most of the original live-fire conflicts were replaced by girls using modified toy guns with rubber bullets, which can be considered the main culprit for the damage caused by Exusiai's scraping technique.

But this group of Northerners found a loophole. Their base was located at the intersection of the outer and inner ring roads, not exactly a slum. Before the Rat King could even begin to clean them up, the group had already committed several major crimes, including murder, robbery, selling stolen goods, and smuggling. They even killed a police officer, and the matter was brought to the attention of the Lungmen Guard Bureau. As a result, the Rat King was no longer able to intervene.

This group of people have no sense of rules and will do anything for money. If the target that the Rat King specifically designated to keep a close watch on falls into their hands, he's likely to end up in a bad situation.

"Call someone"

"Huh? Didn't we say we had to wait for news?"

"It's too late, call for help!"

……

Ten minutes before the melting process at the Longmen Outer Ring Plant.

The black armored vehicle bumped along the potholed road, the roar of its engine echoing through the dusty open space of the abandoned factory. Inside the vehicle, the inspectors were all tense, their fingers gripping the handles of their weapons or shields, their breathing rising and falling with the swaying of the vehicle.

"Everyone, do a final equipment check. We're about to face a tough battle."

As the armored vehicles drew closer to their target, the head of the inspection team began making final pre-battle preparations.

As the armored vehicle drew closer to the factory gate, the team leader's voice grew increasingly urgent: "Hoshiguma, take the shield guards and get out of the vehicle first. Set up a defensive line at the factory gate and ensure the safety of the officers who follow!"

"learn"

"Once the shield guards have secured the anchor point, everyone immediately apply suppressive fire!"

The team leader's finger rapidly tapped across the tactical map. "Gunners, cover the left and right flanks; crossbowmen, keep an eye on the high ground, create openings for the assault team to charge! Maintain formation, don't get separated—your backs are in the hands of your teammates! Once the defenses are stable, I will lead the assault team..."

"Sir, I'd like to apply to join the task force," Chen Huijie, sitting next to Hoshiguma, raised her hand and applied.

"Now? Are you sure? The task force has very high requirements." The team leader looked at the newcomer who had been promoted to the special inspection team for his outstanding achievements with surprise.

"My past experience proves that I am capable of handling the tasks of the task force," Chen Huijie said firmly without any further explanation. There was a reason why Chen Huijie was promoted so exceptionally. The special inspection team never accepted people with connections. From the desperate counterattack at the scene of a gang fight to the raid on a smuggling gang's hideout, her file was full of records of "first charge" and "attack", and she completed each task cleanly and efficiently.

The team leader was silent for two seconds, but couldn't help but remind him again: "Have you thought this through? The assault team is the most dangerous. In every operation, the casualties are the highest."

"I'm ready."

Chen Huijie's hand remained raised, her gaze unwavering.

"Then join the ranks!"

The team leader said no more, his tone showing more approval. What he wanted was this kind of tough guy who dared to charge forward and fight – that's the kind of person he wanted to lead!

Before the words had even finished, a cold glint suddenly shot out from a second-floor window in the factory area! With a "whoosh," a crossbow bolt struck the armored vehicle's outer shell. With a crisp "clang," the bolt shaft was deflected and landed on the ground, still trembling. But the powerful kinetic energy that struck the armor plating produced a piercing metallic noise, like fingernails scraping against sheet metal, causing eardrums to ache inside the vehicle.

This is not a warning, but a call to arms.

"Damn it! How could they have found out beforehand?!"

The team leader slammed his hand on the shaking carriage wall, his face instantly darkening. "Everyone, get ready!"

The words had barely left his mouth when, "BOOM—"

A loud bang suddenly exploded on the right side of the armored vehicle! A grenade, trailing black smoke, crashed to the ground, and flames instantly shot up two or three meters high. The shockwave, like an invisible hand, violently overturned the right side of the armored vehicle.

The moment the tires left the ground, the operatives inside were thrown about, their weapons and tactical equipment clanging against the metal. The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly, jerking the vehicle sharply. The tires screeched against the ground, and the armored vehicle barely managed to sway before crashing back to the ground, avoiding a complete rollover.

"You son of a bitch!"

The team leader was stunned and, leaning against the side of the carriage, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. His curses were full of anger: "They can even smuggle things like grenades into Longmen? Those idiots at the border inspection office are really something else. They might as well hire a piece of barbecued pork!"

He grabbed the walkie-talkie hanging around his neck and slammed his thumb into the call button: "Everyone! Get out of the car immediately! No delays!"

Upon hearing the team leader's order, the armored vehicle convoy instantly maneuvered sideways on the road, blocking the factory's exit. Hoshiguma was the first to push open the vehicle door, raise her Hannya, and jump out. The next second, several bullets whizzed by, clanging and clattering against the shield, sending sparks flying.

"Watch out! The enemy has modified firearms! Their firepower is formidable!"

Hoshiguma's voice came through the shield, still as calm as ever.