Progress 20100

"I hate being lied to more than anything, when I trusted you so much."

"I was wrong."

"You actually dared to pick some random place to fool me, and even used my name to gather that bunch of idiots for a cocktail party..."

"I..."

"Recite that 'confession' of yours again!"

"I am guilty, truly. I should not have deceived the pure, kind, amiable Officer Lacy. I should not have flown the banner of the most beautiful woman in the Logistics Department to make money off cocktail party tickets..."

Marco's expression was extraordinarily vivid—pain in his face and body left him baring his teeth as he recited the "confession."

His once sharply defined cheeks had become a lumpy, rounded ball, and the corners of his mouth in particular were swollen like steamed buns, bruised purple and blue.

The clothes on his body had been reduced to strips of rag, and faint traces of blood could still be seen.

And this was the result of Lacy showing mercy, only using that standard-issue dagger...

If Wei En had not reminded her at the critical moment in the name of insufficient funds, she would have used the two-handed axe and split him open directly.

"Captain, why don't we just—"

"Mm?"

Lacy glanced at him, the dagger in her hand flicking up and down several times.

"..."

Wei En forced out a stiff smile. "Pretend I never said anything."

If he kept talking, he was afraid he would end up with two extra holes in his body—when women got angry, they were damn terrifying.

Couldn't afford to provoke her. Absolutely couldn't.

Wei En looked at Marco sympathetically. Big brother, you were on your own!

As for Tina, the white-haired girl who had "informed" on him...

At that moment, she was staring expressionlessly at Marco, her mouth constantly sucking in air and puffing up, as though researching how she could puff it into two "balls" like his.

Bang!

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

"Lacy, what exactly did you say to Yegor to make him... Huh? Isn't this Marco? What happened to your face?"

A young man wearing the dark-green uniform of the Logistics Department walked in and looked at them in surprise.

Lacy glared at him coldly. "Ariana, do you need something?"

"I... do. Or maybe not?"

Seeing her expression, the newcomer shrank his head back and gave two dry laughs. "Lacy, since you're busy, I'll come back later."

With that, he took a straight step back and even very politely closed the door softly.

Marco opened his mouth and stared blankly at Lacy.

It was over. He had lost all face this time.

But—

That was not the most important thing...

Damn it, even Ariana, the captain of Investigation Division Two, had been driven out without the slightest regard for face.

If he did not save himself now, he was afraid he would have to leave the Secret Investigation Bureau lying sideways.

"Um, Officer Lacy, look, Ariana has something to discuss with you. How about you deal with me after you finish your work?"

Lacy stared at him expressionlessly and did not respond.

"O-Officer Lacy, I already know I was wrong. Please give me a chance to turn over a new leaf?"

Marco tried hard to put on a sincere expression and looked at her as if begging for mercy.

Only after a long while did Lacy slowly speak. "Marco, we'll let it go this time. If there's a next time..."

Riiip!

A crisp sound rang out. The already tattered clothing on Marco's body could no longer hold on and scattered miserably across the floor.

"...I believe you won't dare lie to me again, right?"

"N-no, no, I won't dare. I promise. I swear."

Marco clutched his chest, his face full of heartache as he... looked at the floral shirt on the ground.

That had been a "Never-Night City divine artifact" he had spent an entire month's salary to have custom-made, and now it was gone just like that.

"Hmph. Get up."

Marco hurriedly gathered the "shattered divine artifact" from the ground, as if only this could bring him some sense of security.

Lacy looked at him unhappily and said, "Go to the door and see if that idiot Ariana is still there."

"Okay..."

Knock, knock knock.

Just then, a knock sounded outside the door.

"Lacy, may I come in?"

"Get in here!"

The young man from earlier, the one called Ariana, pushed the door open and came in, saying with an awkward smile, "Everyone from Division One is here..."

Lacy looked at him impatiently. "Get to the point. Since when did you become so polite?"

"I've always been very... hm? Is this black-haired guy a new colleague in Division One?"

When Ariana saw Wain behind them, he greeted him warmly. "Hello, I'm Ariana Holmes, captain of Investigation Division Two."

Wain glanced at Lacy. Seeing that she had no reaction, he replied, "Wain Loft."

The captain of Investigation Division Two under the Logistics Department... wasn't that the same rank as Lacy?

"It's been ages since I've seen a new colleague. Wain, actually, our Division Two is also very—"

"Ariana, do you need me to take you to the Colosseum and help you remember the lesson from last time?"

"No, of course not."

Ariana withdrew his eager gaze from Wain and said, unable to hide his regret, "Lacy, you really are lucky."

"Hm?"

"Ahem, here's the thing. Yegor just asked me to cooperate with you on investigating a case... What kind of case is it, exactly, that even you can't solve?"

"Yegor said that?"

"You know, if it weren't the minister's order, I wouldn't come to you on my own."

Lacy frowned slightly. "Our Investigation Division One has never had a precedent of letting people from Division Two get involved."

"Exactly. Ariana, could you have heard wrong?" Marco, hiding at the back as he changed into the Investigation Department uniform, teased.

Ariana shrugged and said, "That works out. I'm not exactly thrilled about accepting the transfer order either..."

As he spoke, he turned to walk out.

"Wait."

Lacy called him back. "Since it's Yegor's order, come with us later."

"I knew it." Ariana immediately turned around, looking smug. "Lacy, I said a long time ago that there'd come a day when you'd need me. See, now isn't it—"

"Cut the crap. Go back and get ready. Meet at the entrance in fifteen minutes."

"...Got it, Chief Lacy~"

Ariana curled his lip, muttering things like violent woman and female tyrannosaur under his breath, then turned and left the office.

After he was gone, Marco asked, "Lacy, what did you say to Yegor? Why did he let people from Division Two get involved too?"

"We'll talk about that on the way."

Lacy raised a hand to cut him off, then arranged, "Wain, Tina, get ready."

Wain froze for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

The white-haired girl said, "Tina is ready."

"You should at least tell us where we're going, right?"

"Laos District."

Marco realized. "We're going to the scene again?"

"You ask too many questions!"

Hearing that, Wain packed up the things on the table while checking the equipment on him.

He hadn't expected that on the very day he started the job, he would be going out to investigate a case.

Just then, another deep crimson notification appeared on the panel in his mind:

[You have learned the name of "Forbidden Object 0-34 Resurrection Coffin." The trajectory of fate has changed to a certain extent. Current encounter progress: 20/100.

Evaluation: I've seen brave ones, but never anyone as brave as you. Special reward: Survival Points +10.]

Progress 20/100??