Originium Slug Beer / Ch'en Hui-chieh's Far-Off Gaze

"You're haggling with the police?!" Chen raised her eyebrows and glared, instantly exuding a sense of oppression like that of a seasoned cop.

Bai Ye had to admit that when this guy got angry, he was actually quite righteous and was indeed born to be a policeman.

If Bai Ye were just an ordinary person, he would probably have confessed by now, even if he knew nothing, he would still be trembling with fear.

However, Bai Ye was clearly no longer afraid of Chen, so he remained calm and composed.

"If we really ran into someone like you, we probably wouldn't know what to do with you... Luckily, my uncle has already mentioned this to me, otherwise it would really give us a huge headache."

Chen simply couldn't continue acting like that; if she kept going, she would break character and burst out laughing. Therefore, she had no choice but to revert to her usual friendly demeanor.

"If I didn't get Wei Yenwu's permission, and you, as my friend, discovered that I had broken the law, what would you do?" Bai Ye suddenly asked.

As he spoke, Bai Ye looked into Chen's eyes.

Bai Ye's gaze made Chen inexplicably uncomfortable. However, it seemed she hadn't really considered this issue carefully. Because she had never done anything that violated her principles.

Chen is a righteous person. Even when she allied with Bai Ye, she didn't prioritize her own interests over the principles of justice. She simply wanted Bai Ye's help, or rather, assistance in finding Talulah. Sharing certain intelligence was certainly possible. However, if Bai Ye's demands superseded justice, Chen would choose justice, not the other way around.

But that was then. Now, their relationship has changed drastically. Bai Ye has helped Chen so much, and he even saved Talulah's life. Chen owes Bai Ye so much, and she doesn't know how to repay Bai Ye kindness.

The question of Bai Ye was something she had never considered before, after all, it was an extremely difficult choice.

"..." Faced with Bai Ye's question, Chen looked away, afraid that she would be affected. She thought for a moment, then slowly said:

"If it's just a trivial matter, I will arrest you according to Lungmen law and then try to get you leniency."

After a pause, Chen continued:

"Hmm... if it's something very serious."

"I will arrest you first, but I owe you a lot, so I will resign and then do everything I can to get you out."

Clearly, what she did after resigning was no longer in accordance with Lungmen law, but it was for the sake of justice in Chen's own mind.

"Wow—" Bai Ye opened his mouth. Chen's answer was indeed beyond his expectations. After all, Bai Ye did not expect that Chief Chen would abandon the law that he had always upheld for the sake of loyalty.

Moreover, judging from Chen's expression, she was telling the truth and wasn't lying. This girl is serious.

However, this does indeed fit Chen's personality. After all, she also yearns for the chivalrous life of a wandering knight and enjoys reading martial arts novels. Perhaps she has such sentiments deep down.

"Ahem—don't look at me like that. Anyway, you haven't done anything bad, have you?!" Chen turned her face away shyly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"..." Bai Ye took a deep breath. He was about to say something when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the corridor outside the door.

"Oh no! I contacted Hoshiguma before, and since she had to work overtime today, she bought me some food, and it's being delivered now!" Chen had obviously heard the footsteps as well, and she slapped her forehead.

"This situation is definitely not going to work!" Chen then looked at her hands, which were still handcuffed to Bai Ye's.

"It needs to be unlocked right away! Wait, where did my key go?!" Chen searched everywhere for the key, but couldn't find it for a while.

After all, these handcuffs are carried with you at all times. When you're arresting a criminal outside, you certainly won't be thinking about opening them right away, so the key and handcuffs won't be kept together. There's really no way to unlock the handcuffs for the time being.

"Think of a way, Bai Ye!" Chen anxiously. Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

Bai Ye blinked.

Then, the office door opened, and Hoshiguma walked in carrying a bag of food.

"Chief Chen, your takeout has arrived. I brought it up for you—wait a minute, you guys are really something else."

As he spoke, Hoshiguma placed the food at the doorway, then gave Chen a strange smile:

"Just pretend I was never here! I didn't see anything! You guys continue!"

With that, Hoshiguma closed the door.

"Wait! Hoshiguma, come back here!"

Chen roared.

Bai Ye sighed helplessly, then reached out and forcefully pried open the handcuffs.

Chen stared at Bai Ye, who had unlocked the handcuffs with his bare hands, as if he were a monster.

Although Chen knew that Bai Ye was very strong, she had never acted directly with Bai Ye before, and had no direct understanding of Bai Ye's latest changes in strength.

Now she knows.

This guy is definitely a monster.

But--

"Why didn't you do that just now?!" Chen scolded irritably. "You could have done it before she arrived!"

"Ahem, I didn't think of that at the time." Bai Ye blinked.

Actually, he just wanted to see Chen make a fool of herself; it was quite rare to see Officer Chen so flustered.

Ask for leave

I have some things to take care of these past couple of days, I'll resume updates tomorrow.

Chapter 103 Originium Slug Beer

"So you guys were joking after all..."

Hoshiguma was naturally called back by Chen. She tidied up Chen's desk and then put the rice noodle rolls aside.

"You scared me to death! I thought you were... I thought, how come you're playing such elaborate tricks? I've come at the worst possible time."

Clearly, Hoshiguma had misunderstood at first, but it's not her fault, because at first glance, Bai Ye and Chen's situation did indeed make it easy to misunderstand. Chen had handcuffed herself and Bai Ye together, and was even pressing her entire body against Bai Ye.

Hoshiguma was genuinely surprised when she opened the door.

"Of course! We were just playing around," Chen replied through gritted teeth, taking the handcuffs Bai Ye handed her, but then angrily tossing them into her coat pocket. She was definitely regretting it now.

As for the key, there's no need to look for it anymore; it's useless anyway. Even the handcuffs will need to be disposed of later, since Bai Ye broke them.

Thinking of this, Chen suddenly remembered something. She took the handcuffs out of her pocket again and handed them to Hoshiguma.

"Look, try to pry it open?"

"Chief Chen?" After Chen finished speaking, Hoshiguma looked at Chen with a puzzled expression. "When you designed these new handcuffs, didn't you have me try them out? I definitely couldn't have opened them with my strength."

The Oni is known for its physical strength, and each individual is quite powerful. Hoshiguma is one of the best among them. However, even she cannot fight against industrial products of this strength with just her physical body.

As he spoke, Hoshiguma looked down at the handcuffs in his hands, then jumped in surprise:

"Why do you look like this?"

"Look." Chen gestured towards Bai Ye's location.

"Wow—" Hoshiguma exclaimed upon seeing Bai Ye, "This is no ordinary superhuman strength..."

"Hmm?" Bai Ye blinked, still eating rice noodle rolls, when suddenly surrounded by the two of them.

"Why are you suddenly sneaking food?" Chen was speechless. Breaking open the new handcuffs of the Lungmen Guard Department with bare hands was a visually shocking experience for both her and Hoshiguma, something they would almost never think about normally. However, for Bai Ye, it seemed like a commonplace thing.

Bai Ye stole another bite, then smiled and said:

"I'm just curious about what it tastes like, since Swire often calls you 'Rice Noodle Dragon'?"

"If you want to get beaten up, just say so!" Chen was furious.

Hoshiguma quietly reminded him from the side:

"Chief Chen, you probably can't beat him."

However, that sounds a bit like stirring up trouble.

"Cough... I've never actually eaten rice noodle rolls before. Hmm, this is probably just like that."

"I just picked the cheapest and cleanest ones that were nearby, so of course they're not going to be that delicious. How about I give you a pork chop bun?" Hoshiguma replied with a smile, then looked at Bai Ye with some confusion and asked, "Wait, Bai Ye, you're from Lungmen too, right? Have you never had rice noodle rolls before?"

"Heh..." Chen sneered from the side, "I asked him the same question just now, but he didn't want to answer."

"I see, no wonder you suddenly handcuffed him." Hoshiguma quickly pieced together the basic outline of what had just happened in her mind.

"I'll let it go this time, but you'd better explain yourself properly next time." Surprisingly, Chen didn't press the issue further, probably because she had indeed seen through Bai Ye's difficulties and hesitation.

Anyway, Bai Ye has a bunch of businesses in Lungmen, so there's no problem finding him. We can just ask him next time.

"Thank you very much." Bai Ye clasped his hands together.

"Being targeted by this guy, it seems you're not having an easy time either," Hoshiguma remarked with a smile.

She then took out a can of beer from her convenience bag, which appeared to be Originium Slug beer produced by Big Bob's brewery.

"Wait, we can't drink tonight. Let's wait until the holidays," Chen said, reaching out to stop Hoshiguma.

"Oh, right, it used to be that you couldn't drink alcohol at noon, and now you can't drink it at night either." Hoshiguma then remembered the new regulations recently introduced by the Lungmen Guard Department.

"Didn't we already get off work?" Bai Ye, somewhat puzzled.

"To cope with the increasingly complex situation, we can no longer drink casually on weekday evenings, in case of emergencies requiring emergency response. We can only drink in shifts on our days off," Hoshiguma explained.

Although that's what she said, she still looked at the beer in her hand and shook her head helplessly:

"Actually, beer is just a beverage to me. I won't feel anything even after drinking a few cans."

"Yes, but you are a senior superintendent, so you should set an example," Chen said earnestly.

"Chief Chen is really showing the demeanor of a bureau chief now," Bai Ye said with a laugh when he saw this.

Hoshiguma shook her head:

"I'm just too serious and demanding, and sometimes the officers below me complain."

"..." Chen sighed, "I will try to find a balance slowly."

Clearly, she had only recently become the head of the Guards Bureau and was now slowly learning to balance and coordinate. In fact, she was also beginning to understand her uncle, Old Wei, a little better now.

As a senior superintendent Chen could be impulsive, reckless, and demanding of herself and her team members, setting high standards for themselves. But now, as the head of the entire Guards Bureau, Chen needs to change her approach. This is something she needs to learn, and something Old Wei has always wanted her to master.

Only by learning these skills will she be qualified to replace Old Wei as the governing official of Lungmen —yes, Old Wei is grooming Chen as his successor.

Chen was deep in thought, while Hoshiguma and Bai Ye started chatting.

"Speaking of which, why is there Originium Slug drawn on this beer bottle? What exactly is Originium Slug Beer?" Hoshiguma looked at the can in her hand with some curiosity.

"This is a brewing method. You raise Originium Slug in hops. After the Originium Slug eat the hops, they secrete a special liquid that, when added to beer, makes it taste wonderful," Bai Ye explained with a smile.

"Huh?" Hoshiguma was shocked to learn that there was such a method of brewing wine for the first time.

She scratched her head, looking at the beer in her hand:

"Won't drinking this Oripathy?"

"Ultimately, the reason why Originium Slug are called Originium Slug is simply because they are covered with a shell containing Originium components; they don't have any Originium crystals inside their bodies," Bai Ye explained with a smile.

"Moreover, many biological experts have studied these insects. Although they are covered with Originium shells, they are not infected with Oripathy in the natural environment. They are amazing little creatures. You can't even get Oripathy from being bitten by them, let alone brewing Oripathy."

Chapter 104 Chen's Distant View

Thanks to Bai Ye's explanations, Hoshiguma learned a lot about beer brewing and Originium Slug.

However, she still silently placed the can of beer on Chen's desk.

"Huh? You don't want to drink it anymore?" Chen had been lost in thought and hadn't heard Bai Ye and Hoshiguma's chat, so she naturally didn't know the story behind this can of beer.

Hoshiguma waved her hand somewhat awkwardly:

"Anyway, it doesn't have much flavor, and I can't drink it tonight, so I'll just leave it here with you."

Bai Ye stuck out her tongue apologetically.

Clearly, because of his explanation, Hoshiguma seems to have developed a negative attitude towards Originium Slug Beer.

Well, that's actually normal. Bai Ye had advised Big Bob to change the trademark and register a new one, since the Originium Slug were too bizarre and the brewing process was too grotesque.

It's safe to say that most normal people would find it hard to accept the truth about winemaking.

After a busy day, the two finally began to eat dinner.

Judging from their practiced movements, this lifestyle has clearly become the norm for them.

No wonder Chen's office has such a homey feel to it; she probably really considers it her home.