Ark Chess Player.

Swire recalled the mess she'd made today. She'd almost died at the hands of those traitors from the Guard Bureau. If it weren't for the Rhodes Island Doctor's intervention, she wouldn't be standing here wasting her breath on this gossipy old woman.

“No one wants to be injured while on duty. Anyone who thinks this is normal is out of their mind.” Superintendent Chen’s gaze at Swire was somewhat off. She observed Swire’s injuries and muttered to herself, “Weren’t you on duty in Lungmen City today? What happened here to cause such serious injuries to you…”

"At least you have some conscience, knowing how to be considerate of your colleagues." Swire relaxed her raised eyebrows slightly.

“No, I don’t care how badly you’re injured. I’m just curious why something like this could happen in Lungmen City that could hurt you. Did someone take advantage of the chaos to rob a bank account?” Chen Huijie ignored Swire, who was so angry her tail was standing on end. She reached for the pile of files and said thoughtfully, “Although everyone says you’re the mascot of the Guard Bureau, and your background is far more useful than your abilities, I know that you are absolutely capable of being a senior superintendent.”

Superintendent Chen stared intently at Swire and said seriously, "A case that could seriously injure a senior superintendent of the Guard Bureau is definitely no less serious than the pursuit of those drug traffickers two years ago. And yet, this happened today, right here in your jurisdiction… What on earth is wrong with Lungmen?" She couldn't help but sigh.

“No matter what happens, it is our duty to protect this city. What? Are you scared? If you don’t want to do it, then resign now. I will take over the special inspection team, and you can go to Victoria and drive a tractor in the countryside with your college classmates.”

Swire was initially angry at the other party's indifference, but when she heard Chen Da frankly admit that she was fully qualified for the position of senior superintendent, her mood fluctuated.

Swire was somewhat happy, but she felt she couldn't show it too obviously.

However, Chen only glanced at her, then lowered his head to drink his bitter, unsweetened black coffee, letting the cold liquid slide down his throat and savoring the lingering aroma. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't get used to the expensive coffee machines and premium coffee beans that Swire placed in the lounge for everyone to use freely; instead, he felt more at ease with these affordable canned drinks.

"Hey, why don't you... refute me?"

Seeing Chen Ba Po's frustrated expression, Swire suddenly panicked.

Even if her goal was truly to take over the Guard Bureau and stand at the top of Lungmen, this was the first time Swire had seen this workaholic show such a dejected and depressed look, and this was not what she wanted. She wanted to defeat this authoritative and dignified Special Inspector General, who had earned his reputation in the Guard Bureau through his own efforts, fair and square.

"Yes, I'm scared." Chen Huijie really wanted to say that, to see how the other person would react. But she gently shook her head. All her efforts were never for anyone's approval; she was simply trying to... have a clear conscience.

Chen suppressed the urge to sigh, downed the canned coffee in one gulp, and casually tossed it into a trash can some distance away.

She successfully tossed the can into the center of the trash can, which made her feel a little better.

"Tell me what happened in Lungmen city today."

"Okay, but you have to tell me what happened on the outer ring of Longmen."

Chen and Swire exchanged a glance, both keenly noticing a detail.

As senior superintendents of the Royal Guard, it's alarming that their information exchange has been so severely restricted. Even if the excuse is urgency and busyness, they shouldn't be completely unaware of events happening in the same city, especially since their duty is to have access to this information—it's the Royal Guard's most basic job.

This illustrates...

While they were risking their lives to protect Longmen, the higher-ups did things they didn't want them to know.

Swire's gaze shifted slightly as she looked at Chen, suppressing the aggression she had deliberately displayed due to her inability to express her emotions.

"While you were defending the outer ring of Lungmen against the frontal offensive of the Integration Movement, we weren't idle either. An undocumented riot group called 'Lungmen New Life' emerged in the Lungmen slums and committed all sorts of atrocities, including vandalism, looting, and murder."

"New students of Dragon Gate..."

Superintendent Chen frowned deeply. She vaguely remembered this organization; she had heard about it from the Rhodes Island team responsible for searching unregistered infected individuals in the slums. However, at the time, the Reunion Movement's offensive was fierce, and the front lines were stretched thin. The Guard Bureau team she sent to provide support was scattered by the Reunion Movement. She also encountered an incident where the Guard Bureau's communications network was hacked, and her outpost was attacked by assassins.

"and after?"

"Oh, well, Alexander Swell is in charge of the Lungmen freshman organization, and he's also in charge of the slums. I don't know the specifics... What's wrong? Don't stare at me like that. If I don't know, can't I just ask?!"

Swire felt a little uncomfortable under Old Chen's gaze. She pointed to the files on his desk and said seriously, "Don't think you're the only dedicated vanguard in the entire Guard Bureau. Everyone else just got off work not long ago. These are all the files we've compiled. We're not stupid. Anyone who's worked their way up from the bottom has solved at least a few cases independently. Our eyes may be blinded, but our minds can still work. As long as we can still think, nothing can stop us."

“I’ve got it, Superintendent Chan. You’re not the only one who cares about this city; we do too.”

Swire patted the stacks of files heavily. She knew that Chen Huijie, this ruthless work machine, would definitely not go home to sleep tonight. Even if she fought until she was battered and bruised, unable to stand, she would still stubbornly stick to her post.

This is how she sees Superintendent Chen: a low-EQ, clumsy woman who is so dedicated to her work that she evokes mixed feelings of love and hate.

"Is this so..."

Chen Huijie sat on the table in a rather unladylike manner. Looking at the stack of documents, her gaze softened slightly.

Seeing the change in her expression, Swire shifted her stance slightly and continued, "In addition, the Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals Building near the outer ring area was attacked by mercenaries from Silverwing Security Contractors."

"...The Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Building was attacked? Wait, isn't the Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Building located in Lungmen City? Why is it here?" Chen was somewhat confused, realizing that her information seemed to differ from others'.

"Have you gone mad from killing people these past few days? Didn't Alexander suggest setting up Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals on the outer ring of Lungmen? Didn't you even know that your proposed location was rejected?" Swire looked at Chen as if he were an idiot.

Chen was stunned for a moment, then murmured, "Does Commander Wei Yanwu... know about this?"

"Of course, who else has the right to make that decision besides him? Are you running a fever? Your mind isn't clear."

Swire glanced at Chen's slightly blank expression, reached out and touched her forehead, but was impatiently swatted away.

Superintendent Chen took out another can of black coffee from the bag. She was indeed a little out of it. This feeling of being out of sync with the information was like running into a slum with a map of the rich neighborhood of Lungmen. It was very incongruous.

"Hey, your hand..." Swire exclaimed as she watched Chen tremble as he pulled the lever, his cracked fingernails bleeding.

Chen shook her head, ignoring the pain, and pulled off the tab, taking a sip of her black coffee. Her mind was a mess; the cold coffee helped to get her thinking going and provided some energy. The caffeine wouldn't take effect for three hours, so she could keep going for at least nine hours.

"Tell me in detail what exactly happened."

About half an hour later, Swire shared all the information she knew, and the files also provided supplementary explanations for anything she didn't understand. During this time, the number of empty coffee cans in the trash can kept increasing. Although Swire had reminded Chen not to drink anymore, her stubborn nature wouldn't allow her to obediently agree, and she continued to drink the bitter liquid.

"I see."

Chen Huijie's expression was somewhat strange.

She combined the information provided by Swire with the intelligence she already knew, sorted and filtered it in her mind, eliminated useless junk information and retained important intelligence, and successfully summarized and planned out the various events that happened today.

“I see… Rhodes Island, so that’s how it is… Rhodes Island…” Chen murmured, thoughtfully bringing the coffee can to her lips, but no liquid seemed to enter her mouth for a long time.

She then realized that she had already finished drinking it, but she had just been holding it in her hands the whole time.

...It wasn't just this coffee can; she was also holding onto many other useless things, refusing to let go.

Chen Huijie gave a self-deprecating smile, then crushed the coffee can again and threw it into the trash can. This time, however, the can hit the wall, rolled a few times on the floor, and made a soft sound as it hit the newcomer's black sneakers.

Chapter 350 Hoshiguma's Mother (4K)

"Ugh."

The tall, green-haired beauty sighed, clearly feeling both helpless and annoyed by her friend's unhealthy eating habits.

"Can't you drink less? You don't feel anything now, but once the caffeine takes effect later, you won't be able to sleep even if you want to rest. Do you still think you're eighteen?" Hoshiguma picked up the shrunken can and threw it into the trash can for Chen.

"How did you come?"

Chen countered with a question, but her gaze lingered on the large bag Hoshiguma was carrying, and she wisely refrained from asking further.

"I was thinking that if it were you, you probably wouldn't even have had lunch, let alone a midnight snack, right? Don't you even look at the time? You went to the convenience store to buy coffee but didn't you also buy something to eat to fill your stomach? How can you do any work on an empty stomach? By the way, you drank coffee on an empty stomach, aren't you afraid of getting high blood pressure—"

"Stop! Stop! Don't say anymore, do you want to be my mother?"

"If it's you, I wouldn't mind calling you Hoshiguma Mom, okay?" Hoshiguma smiled serenely. It was hard to imagine that the invincible woman on the battlefield was as gentle and virtuous as the older sister next door in her daily life.

"Alright, stop, let's leave this topic at that!"

Chen called for a halt, somewhat helplessly. She was afraid that if she continued talking, Hoshiguma would disrupt her rhythm and she might accidentally blurt out such an embarrassing term. Given her personality, there was absolutely no way she would engage in this kind of mother-daughter play with Hoshiguma—absolutely not—although she had indeed done it a few times before, but that was in the past! Times have changed!

"Hey, come on, it's all warm."

Hoshiguma carefully placed both bags on the desk, making it suddenly crowded. Even Chen had to obediently get off the desk, pretending to casually touch the bags to see what was inside.

Hoshiguma didn't directly expose Chen's little trick. Instead, she smiled warmly, like a gentle breeze, and said, "There's been so much going on in Lungmen today that many shops are closed. It's hard to find a restaurant that's still open this late, but that's no problem for me. This is a late-night diner's signature dish, why don't you try it? Miss, why don't you come and have some too?"

"I, I'm not hungry..."

Swire said reservedly, but Hoshiguma keenly observed her secretly covering her abdomen.

Swire barely ate anything that day. As she walked out of the Silverwing Security Contractors building, she was preoccupied with recording what she'd read in the indictment, her mind completely focused on work. She even forgot to bandage her wounds until her subordinates forcibly took her to the hospital. After a quick treatment, she refused the hospital's offer of observation and went straight back to the Guard Bureau building. No one dared stop her; after all, the hospital was owned by Swire's family.

This is probably what they call the power of money.

"Miss, I accidentally bought too much. These vegetables won't taste good the next day. If it's alright, could you please help me get rid of some?" Hoshiguma asked in a pleading tone, while showing a slightly embarrassed and shy expression.

"Oh, I see. Well, then there's nothing I can do. Honestly, you should make sure you can finish the food before ordering. Wasting food is the most shameful thing in the world. There's a saying in Yan that goes, 'Every grain is hard-earned.'"

Swire then scooted closer, hiding her embarrassment. Despite her family's good financial situation, she was actually quite frugal.

Swire never wastes money unnecessarily. She personally audits the public accounts to ensure that no one in her team is ever accused of bribery or extortion. But she's not a miser either. Whenever she successfully solves a difficult case or the entire Guard Bureau works overtime, she treats her subordinates to a late-night snack, with Swire footing the bill for the night.

Swire wasn't the pampered rich girl type; she walked steadily across the land, enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

She's truly the kind of good girl who will walk alongside you and work hard together.

"If you don't want to eat, then don't eat. Don't act like someone is begging you to eat." Chen Huijie originally wanted to say something to Shi Huaiya, but Xingxiong gently poked her waist, smiled and shook his head, making her swallow her words that were meant to startle her.

To take good care of these two, Hoshiguma put a lot of effort into understanding their personalities. She even secretly mastered the art of guiding Swire's conversations, and she could predict Old Chen's reactions so she could stop him in time.

"Miss is so easy to fool..."

As Hoshiguma thought to herself, a smile grew wider on her face.

The three of them enjoyed their dinner quietly in the still of the night. Only this office, brightly lit, remained on the spacious floor. This was the only time they could truly relax, free from worries.

"So you eat green peppers?"

Do I look like the kind of picky rich girl?

Seeing Chen Huijie's incredulous expression, Shi Huaiya frowned, but still ate her vegetables in small, elegant bites, chewing slowly and deliberately. Even ordinary Longmen home-cooked food made her feel like she was in a luxury restaurant. In contrast, Old Chen was rather boyish, picking at his chicken rice, oblivious to the rice grains stuck to the corners of his mouth.

Hoshiguma silently removed a grain of rice from the corner of Chen's mouth and put it into Chen's mouth with her other hand.

"Women who like to eat green peppers are no pushovers."

Chen recalled where he had heard this before and subconsciously said it.

"Oh? Is that so?" Swire picked up a piece of stir-fried green pepper, cut into small pieces and thoroughly cooked, with her chopsticks, and said provocatively, "Then, can the dignified Senior Superintendent Chen of the Lungmen Guard Bureau get used to this kind of bitter commoner food?"

Old Chen rolled her eyes as she picked out some of the side dishes she didn't like from the disposable lunchbox and gave them to Hoshiguma, while stubbornly saying, "I'm not a picky eater."

"You're not even embarrassed to say that," Swire said, turning to look at Hoshiguma, her eyebrows raised. "Just keep spoiling her."

"I have a big appetite, so I don't mind."

Hoshiguma chuckled gently, saying that she basically ate everything. Rather, it was because she had endured so much hardship in the past that her requirements for food were quite low. Apart from food that had expired, she could even accept fried insects.

Although the food at the Midnight Diner wasn't exactly gourmet, the three of them were starving after a long day, and being able to enjoy a hot meal so late at night was a real treat. Even Chen thanked Hoshiguma politely, while Swire took the initiative to clean up the mess, putting all the food scraps into garbage bags and tying them up.

Aren't you planning to go back yet?

Chen looked at Swire, who had sat back down in her chair, with some confusion.

"What do you mean 'go back'? Are you treating me like a tool? What happened to exchanging information?!" Swire wanted to cross her legs, but her leg was still injured, so she had to give up the idea. She asked unhappily, "Then, isn't it time to tell me what happened in the outer ring of Lungmen?"

Chen said calmly, "Nothing happened on the outer ring of Longmen. Commander Wei will stay healthy forever."

"You surnamed Chen, are you trying to fool me?!"

"It's the fault of the person who was deceived."

"How could you, a senior superintendent, say such a thing?!"

When Hoshiguma returned from the lounge, Swire and Chen were almost fighting. She sighed helplessly; it was just a matter of washing her hands, how did these two end up arguing?

Dragons and tigers clash, even ghosts tremble in fear.

Hoshiguma finally managed to separate the two, but surprisingly, both were very careful and didn't really fight. Besides the fact that they had just eaten, they were also concerned about each other's injuries and, as always, were not being honest with each other.

After being advised by Hoshiguma, Chen Huijie hesitated for a while and then sighed helplessly.

She silently picked up a can of black coffee and tossed it directly to Swire.

Although Swire was injured, her athletic ability was excellent, and she easily took over.

“Drinking coffee late at night will keep you awake,” Swire said unhappily, but her hand still honestly pulled the tab.

Although Swire isn't a picky eater, she's quite particular about the taste of coffee. Every time she brews coffee, she checks the quality of the beans, whether the water temperature is right, and adds a packet of brown sugar and extra milk foam. She probably wouldn't drink canned coffee from other brands, but this is, after all, a beverage produced by her family's Swire Group, and in her opinion, the taste is passable.

"It's okay. After you hear what I'm about to say, you won't be able to sleep whether you drink coffee or not."

Superintendent Chen's expression was slightly solemn, which made the other two take it seriously and sit up straight.

For the next hour, Chen picked up a whiteboard marker and began outlining the intelligence network she had sketched in her mind on the whiteboard against the office wall. Combining Swire's information with her own experiences, she meticulously refined their understanding of Lungmen's darker side. Hoshiguma listened attentively throughout, occasionally offering a few pointers that went straight to the point.

Hoshiguma used to be a figure in the gray areas of Lungmen, and was personally recruited by Wei Yanwu to join the Guard Bureau. In a sense, her perspective and way of thinking are different from Chen and Swire, and she can give unique advice.

Swire remained silent throughout. She finished her unsweetened black coffee without realizing it, but kept holding the can without throwing it away.

"In short, Lungmen's current troubles are more complicated than we imagined. First, we have completely lost contact with Senior Superintendent Alexander Swell. Of course, I don't mean that this colleague is that important, but we have obtained no intelligence on the area he is in charge of." Chen skillfully picked up a pointer and slapped it on the whiteboard with the words "Lungmen Slums" written in large characters, with a small name on it. It was clear that she had a very bad impression of this rich young superintendent.

"The slums are one of the places in Lungmen where the conflict is most severe today."

"The infiltration attack from the Reunion Movement, the opportunistic actions of a new Lungmen group secretly manipulated by foreign forces, the infected girl Misha who is guilty of possessing a treasure... and the Rhodes Island squad that gets caught up in this incident."

When Rhodes Island was mentioned, Chen Huijie's tone changed slightly, but she swallowed the bitterness and continued, "The communication network that the Guard Bureau set up in the slums was blocked, which shows that this was a premeditated riot. As a result, my communication with Rhodes Island could not be maintained normally, and I failed to anticipate the danger. I have to admit that the reason why the slums were able to remain unaffected during the day is all thanks to the Rhodes Island team."

“After all, Amiya is here, and that little leader is a very hardworking person.” Hoshiguma subconsciously praised Rhodes Island. She looked at Chen, and she remembered that Chen would always look unhappy when she praised Rhodes Island before.

Unexpectedly, Superintendent Chan nodded silently.

A cycad blooming?