Chapter 169
As for Hoshiguma and Chen, they mostly seemed to wear pants, but Chen would wear shorts with leg braces, while Hoshiguma would wear long pants.
Wait... Hoshiguma just said that all those clothes of his were carefully selected by her and Swire?
Surely not?
Well, at least those clothes were all pretty normal, so the two of them probably aren't that depraved.
"You two, let's talk about this when we get back. Aren't you afraid of your workload increasing dramatically by talking badly about people in the Knights of the Round Table?"
Shirou stopped the two from continuing their conversation, mainly because talking badly about others behind their backs was not a good thing.
Secondly, another person hasn't completed their training quota for today; slacking off is not a good thing.
"Knew!"
Upon hearing Shirou's words, the two realized what was happening and hurriedly picked up their crossbows to continue their training.
"By the way, Instructor, have you heard any new rumors circulating in the Slums lately?"
After firing a few shots, the Knights of the Round Table who had started the conversation turned back to chat. This time, he was talking to none other than Shirou.
Some of them privately refer to each other as instructors, since the vast majority of them have received guidance from them, and the results have been very obvious.
Furthermore, this topic has nothing to do with the Knights of the Round Table, so you're absolutely safe!
"What rumors? Muscular Lupo? Red Demon?"
Upon hearing the rumors about the Slums, Shirou immediately thought of those two embarrassing nicknames that made one want to scratch their feet.
Perhaps these two titles will be his lifelong nightmare.
"Sigh, that's all outdated. Now there are rumors about the White Wolf in the Slums. I heard that he chased people all the way from the north street to the south street of the Slums with two greatswords! And apart from the target he was chasing, he didn't cause any other casualties."
Seeing that Shirou seemed to be somewhat interested in the Slums, the other party continued the conversation.
"White Wolf? Twin Swords?"
Upon hearing those two words, Shirou felt as if he had learned something.
Considering the timing, it must be Lappland, whom I met a few days ago.
When we first met, she was being chased by someone else, but unexpectedly, just a few days later she was the one chasing after him.
"That's right. Considering the Lungmen people's special feelings towards white hair, coupled with the racial advantage of the Lupo, the White Wolf is quite popular in some areas."
The member of the Knights of the Round Table shared his thoughts.
"..."
Thank you, Shirou said, adding that he didn't want to know so many strange things.
He knew the people of Lungmen were incredibly enthusiastic about Lupo, but he hadn't expected them to be just as fervent about the white-haired man.
Sigh... that's really strange!
"Hmm... Besides this matter, things have been a bit strange lately in the Slums."
Seeing that Shirou suddenly fell silent, the other party quickly changed the subject.
He's a chatterbox, but he also has excellent observation skills and knows quite a bit about the gossip surrounding Lungmen.
However, most of them are just very minor things.
Under Shirou's questioning gaze, the other party continued to speak eloquently:
"Didn't we solve a kidnapping case involving infected people before? After the news was reported, many infected people who were alone chose to reunite to avoid the same crisis. As a result, many people had malicious intentions because of the large number of people, which has led to a less than ideal atmosphere in the Slums."
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing what the other person said, Shirou frowned slightly.
He had been with the Knights of the Round Table during this time and hadn't been able to go to the Slums, so he didn't know how things were going on with Ansuo.
Although the store is located on the outer edge, it is still quite dangerous.
"Yes, but there's nothing we can do about it. Right now, the Knights of the Round Table is already overwhelmed with dealing with things in the city. If they were to take over the Slums, everyone would be exhausted. Besides, most of the people in the Slums are hostile to the Knights of the Round Table."
"Hmm... I understand roughly. I'll mention it to Chen later."
After understanding what the other person was saying, Shirou felt he should mention it to Chen.
Although I don't have the manpower or time, I still need to let the other party know that this is about it.
After glancing at the name tag on the person's uniform, Shirou told them to go and rest.
The reason is simple: he's too talkative. He can say one sentence and the other person can say several sentences in response.
However, they were just some rather interesting little tidbits of news.
White Wolf... Heh, go back and tell Texas.
Texas's facial expressions became slightly more varied after Lappland was mentioned.
It's roughly like going from facial paralysis to facial paralysis that can move slightly.
Furthermore, the other party was also gathering relevant information, so this wasn't just Shirou's perverse sense of humor.
He simply provided Texas with what she wanted to know!
But do infected individuals who cluster together to protect themselves end up persecuting others...?
If it's just about gathering together and trying to make a living, that would indeed be a very good thing.
But once you start bullying others, the nature of the situation changes.
It's ironic that a victim can become a perpetrator.
Shirou briefly remembered the incident, and then continued to assist others in their training.
In the afternoon, at the Knights of the Round Table office.
"I understand what happened. What are your thoughts on this?"
Chen stopped what he was doing and listened to Shirou's report on the Slums.
This wasn't the first time this had happened; usually, after a while, the gangs in the Slums would step in to suppress those who bullied the weak.
Although saying this might be a bit of a blow to the Knights of the Round Table's reputation, it's true that the Knights of the Round Table has very little access to the Slums.
Manpower is a problem, the fact that most people in Lungmen City look down on people from the Slums is another problem, and the fact that people from the Slums don't trust the Knights of the Round Table is yet another problem.
The combination of these three problems made it extremely difficult for the Knights of the Round Table to operate in the Slums.
That's why she would change clothes after work and go to gather relevant intelligence. Only when the situation becomes serious enough will the Knights of the Round Table send people to the Slums to handle the matter.
However, what Shirou is talking about now is still a minor issue; it's enough to just be aware of the situation. But Chen is very curious to know what Shirou's opinion is on this matter.
"Well... the infected people huddle together for their own safety, but their other behaviors are a bit excessive."
Shirou's view on this matter is rather conventional.
"The main reason is that the infected people have been oppressed for a long time. When a spring that has been suppressed for a long time is released, only three things will happen."
Upon hearing Shirou's answer, Chen made the number three and said, "The first is to remain in this suppressed state, the second is to slowly return to the original state, and the third is... to forcefully spring out the moment you release."
"I understand."
Seeing that Chen would retract a finger every time he mentioned a situation, Shirou could understand what the other person was thinking.
On this land, the oppressed infected either succumb to the pressure or find a way to survive.
Some infected individuals, however, choose to... retaliate and use their power to harm others.
Some of these people may be those who suppressed them in the past, while others may simply be ordinary people who were taken out on by others.
When they harm innocent people, they themselves become oppressors.
That's why Shirou found it ironic.
"It's good that you understand. The issues between ordinary people and infected people are hard to explain. Don't overthink it."
After observing Shirou's condition for a moment, Chen only saw a knowing look on his face.
Instead of asking strange questions like some people do.
It is difficult for ordinary people to understand the situation of infected people. In an environment where they are oppressed, bullied, and insulted once they are found to be infected, the pressure they endure is extremely heavy.
If a person is under too much pressure and collapses under it, then it wouldn't be surprising if the other person did something else.
She is neither a psychologist nor a doctor specializing in Oripathy.
She is Chen, the head of the special inspection team of the Longmen Knight Bureau. Her job is to crack down on all criminals in Lungmen and protect the city's safety.
She would not allow anyone to cause trouble in Lungmen, not even... her close friends and family.
165 infected persons
The Knights of the Round Table, Office.
Shirou was sitting in his seat, reviewing the security measures to be taken during the concert in a few days. Beside him were steaming hot coffee and chocolate to keep him energized.
Both of these items were brought by Shirou from his dormitory.
The work at the Knights of the Round Table is so easy and pleasant.
If you ignore the mountains of documents piled on the desks of the other people around, and the Knights of the Round Table members who are working hard.
Shirou was a little embarrassed by what he saw, and he couldn't find anything to do.
Most of these documents belong to reports filed by citizens of Lungmen, and as an intern, he had no access to these documents.
He doesn't need to be at the sniper range all the time. After teaching someone, he needs some time to digest the information. There's not much he can do there anyway.
He had already reviewed this set of instructions three times. This one was a bit special, given the somewhat unique nature of his job.
The Knights of the Round Table has deployed a considerable number of personnel to ensure security for this MSR concert, as it is the largest event in Lungmen recently. If, as Wei Yanwu said, there are villains eyeing Lungmen, then this concert might be a good opportunity.
Adding to what he had heard about the infected people in the Slums and the attitude of the Knights of the Round Table towards this matter, Shirou was also somewhat worried that something might really go wrong at the concert.
I specifically mentioned this to everyone at Penguin Logistics, and the response I received was that anyone who dares to cause trouble should expect retaliation from everyone at Penguin Logistics.
This answer made Shirou realize that his worries were really unnecessary.
Yes, with the Knights of the Round Table, Penguin Logistics, and the protection personnel brought in by MSR, even if someone really wants to cause trouble, they have to get past these three hurdles first.
Moreover, he wasn't idle; he played a rather important role in it.
However, Shirou wasn't foolish enough to directly discuss the duties of the Knights of the Round Table with the others. This matter had been mentioned when the contract was signed, and it was agreed upon by the Emperor and Wei Yanwu.
None of them had inquired about Shirou's affairs over there; they mostly learned about it themselves while chatting with members of the Knights of the Round Table.
The Penguin Logistics team would like to express their special thanks to Ms. Swire for being their biggest source of information.
They even made them promptly notify the boss to confront Wei Yanwu; they were practically MVPs.
I heard that Swire got a pretty bad scolding from Chen afterward, since she not only leaked the contents of the Knights of the Round Table's call, but she was also secretly listening to their channel.
All they know right now is that Shirou was one of the people assigned to maintain order at the concert that day; that's all they know.
The Penguin Logistics team also planned to look for Shirou on-site, since he was Shirou on duty!
Keep in mind that they had only ever seen Emiya teaching Shirou Knights of the Round Table how to shoot before; they had never seen him at other times!
She had never seen Kong, only through the album in the group chat.
She is currently rehearsing for the concert, and apart from occasionally taking a day off to go back to her dorm and completely relax, she basically communicates with everyone via video every two days.
With the concert date fast approaching, we haven't even had time off lately, and we're rehearsing every day.
I've suffered a lot to maintain my figure, and haven't eaten normal food for a long time, mostly eating healthy meals.
Even Shirou can't send a bento box!
And isn't it normal to want to see what people you know are like at work? That kind of curiosity is common, isn't it?
It's quite a novel experience to see a different side of the people you usually interact with at work!
What the people at Penguin Logistics love most is this sense of novelty and surprise!
So on the day of the concert, they were determined to find Shirou!
Of course, Shirou was completely unaware of these things.
He even borrowed sunglasses from a few people, planning to wear them later.