Underground Emperor of Lungmen

"Boss, who was that childhood sweetheart and close friend of Constable Ch'en you mentioned?"

Rope was curious.

She had indeed seen plenty of clichéd dramas where childhood companions betrayed each other, but when most of them spoke of old times, even if they were pretending, they would put on a nostalgic expression. It was very rare to see someone get directly angry like Ch'en.

Had they completely fallen out?

Not understanding, Rope waited for Hoshino to give her an answer.

Hoshino merely nodded.

That close friend naturally referred to Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement. Of course Hoshino had seen her, but only in the game; she had never truly met her in person. As a transmigrator who knew some of the plot settings, it was only natural to make reasonable use of that intelligence.

But an omniscient perspective could only ensure that the general direction was correct. As for the details, Hoshino could only improvise.

Like now.

Hoshino turned back and said seriously, "Rope, if you ever hear someone mention the name [Talulah], no matter the circumstances, don't hesitate for even a moment. Run."

"Tal..."

"Don't say other people's real names for no reason. Just remember it in your heart."

Hoshino reminded her, then turned and continued walking toward Rope's little home. But after turning several corners, Hoshino was completely dumbfounded. Constable Ch'en had already sent people to guard the place, and officers had surrounded it so tightly that not even water could pass through.

"We can't go back now."

Rope said from behind her, sounding unaffected.

She yawned and asked, "What should we do next?"

That brilliant performance just now showed how familiar she was with Constable Ch'en's relationships, as if everything had been planned all along. Since she had provoked her so recklessly, she must have had a strategy to deal with the consequences.

Yae Sakura's appearance was deeply deceptive.

Even though she was panicking like hell inside, her gaze remained as calm as still water, instinctively giving people a sense of reassurance.

Like a Kamen Rider.

What should she do?

Hoshino retreated just in time, avoiding discovery by the guard bureau officers ahead.

"Let me think..."

That thinking session lasted quite a while. Rope occasionally looked up, cautiously making sure she was not spotted. She had no attachment whatsoever to this temporary shelter; even the furniture was piled together from cardboard.

"Boss, when will I have a real home?"

She asked softly, her voice so low that it seemed she did not expect an answer from anyone. She was asking herself.

That dejected feeling only lasted a short while.

Hoshino's gaze swept over the street corner, where she saw an old man who seemed ordinary enough to be found anywhere. His racial traits were hidden beneath a headscarf, and he wore an approachable white apron stained with faint grease marks.

What drew Hoshino's attention was not any of his traits, but his gaze.

He was watching her.

Hoshino eyed the old man suspiciously. He pointed toward an alleyway, then, after making eye contact with Hoshino, slowly lowered his hand. He turned around and walked into the darkness without looking back, blending into the night. He had not spoken a single word from beginning to end, yet there was something cool about his very ordinariness.

Hoshino asked Rope, "Do you know that old man?"

"What old man?"

Rope followed the direction of her finger and barely made out a retreating figure. The little thief's photographic-memory passive activated, and she actually recognized him.

"He just sells fish balls... Maybe he was passing by?"

"Not simple."

Getting an unexpected answer, Hoshino nodded with a thoughtful expression.

She was very curious.

Curiosity drove her forward into the deep alley the man had indicated. A gloomy wind rushed toward her face, as though it concealed some profound mystery. Rope hurriedly followed close behind. They passed through the darkness of the alley and returned beneath the streetlights, where they found an old woman standing in the light.

There was nothing special about the old woman. She too was the sort of ordinary person you could grab by the handful from any crowd.

Her middle finger was covered in thick calluses. They were neither marks from holding a gun nor from wearing brass knuckles, but simply proof of a tailor's long years of work.

This old woman was a tailor.

Hoshino did not speak to her. The tailor raised a hand and pointed toward one of the paths ahead. Hoshino understood and nodded.

And so it continued.

Hoshino encountered sanitation workers, meat-stall vendors, dockworkers...

These were all ordinary people found everywhere in Lungmen, like screws inside a massive machine. At this moment, those screws were silently arranged into signposts. Hoshino had the vague feeling that it was not any person guiding her, but the city itself.

Just thinking about it was exciting.

Hoshino had a guess as to who was inviting her. It seemed that making such a big scene had indeed been helpful for getting her work underway.

She continued onward.

Rope, on the other hand, looked somewhat nervous. She had never seen anything like this before. The situation was clearly so strange, yet the boss remained so steady, as if she wanted chaos to reign.

Why keep walking forward when she knew something was wrong?

"Do you know who's inviting us?"

Hoshino nodded to show that she did.

"Probably a rat person. I don't know whether they're young or old, but I prefer young ones, because young ones are pretty, and I like dealing with pretty people." She spoke loudly, her gentle voice echoing through the street as though she were deliberately saying it for someone to hear.

After the final guide, they arrived at their destination.

At a wooden table on the street corner sat a slender figure wrapped in purple clothes. She was undoubtedly a young woman. A pot of tea simmered beside her, a brown clay pot over black peat. Her face was half-hidden by the rising mist, and through the haze, a pair of round rat ears could be seen, exceptionally adorable.

Hoshino had said she hoped someone pretty would receive her, and the pretty one had come.

Was that some kind of display of goodwill?

There was also a chair placed at the near end of the wooden table, seemingly prepared for her. Hoshino sat down calmly and spoke before the woman opposite her could open her mouth.

"Hello, Miss Lin."

Beneath Lungmen was an organization akin to a mafia syndicate, carrying the scent of old Lungmen. Within that tangled web stood a great figure much like a godfather: the aged Rat King.

Lin Yuhsia, the Rat King's daughter.

All this intelligence came from the event storyline. Hoshino knew very little and could not be sure whom she would encounter, so as she spoke, her slender fingers remained beneath the table, showing no sincerity at all.

"It's not surprising that you know my surname."

Hoshino replied, "I can call you by your full name. Miss Lin Yuhsia, may I ask what the emperor of Lungmen's underground wants with me?"

"First tell me how you knew who I was."

"When arriving somewhere, of course one must learn about that place. You may regard it as an oracle."

"An oracle."

Lin Yuhsia repeated impassively.