Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

Watching several Guard Department officers get out of the car, Swire pointed at Wang Ke, who lay not far away in a half-conscious state from the pain, and said,

"Throw that guy into the car. He's an officer trying to defect from Great Yan, so be careful."

"Does he have the map on him? If not, you'd better wake him up and get it back. If it gets leaked, it'll be a huge problem," Suika reminded her from the side.

"Right, right, right. He has the border deployment map. Don't forget to pry it out of him," Swire told her subordinates.

Upon hearing the suspect's identity, the officers' tense expressions eased. They cautiously approached him and, seeing his arms hanging unnaturally at his sides—clearly already crippled—finally relaxed.

"Oh, right, I just remembered something. Didn't that guy say he'd already used Ursus to ambush Great Yan's army once before? And it was just recently."

Remembering the death notices she had seen in Lungmen, Suika's anger flared up again.

Before, she'd only thought the casualties had been caused by Ursus's schemes. Now it seemed they had all been this beast's doing.

What? Someone Snatched It Away?!

After Suika brought it up, Swire remembered it too.

According to the information she had received, a border patrol unit had been suddenly attacked by Ursus during a routine patrol. The entire patrol had been slaughtered in a valley along the border.

Strangely, under normal circumstances, such a large patrol force shouldn't have been unable to send out even a single message. It was only after no news came from them for a long time that headquarters sensed something was wrong and dispatched several patrol teams. When those teams arrived in the area, they discovered something was amiss and eventually found the fallen soldiers.

This had been a fully staffed small legion of nearly a thousand men, all of whom had died silently in that valley. It had caused enormous turmoil within Great Yan's military.

There was no need to guess. There had to have been a mole involved. The legion's route had been classified, and they hadn't been preparing to attack Ursus. They had been heading elsewhere to rotate duties with the local garrison.

That was why the military had launched a massive internal purge.

It was to root out the rats.

Now they knew those soldiers had died simply because their commanding officer had stolen someone else's woman, and that person had exposed the army's route to Ursus.

For a moment, even Swire wanted to smash Wang Ke's head in with one punch.

Over a private grudge, he'd first harmed his comrades, then murdered his parents. Every extra second a beast like that stayed alive was a waste of air.

"I'm so damn pissed... A perfectly good vacation got ruined by this kind of bastard."

Swire angrily kicked a tree beside her with her little leather shoe, then clutched her foot and whimpered with tears in her eyes.

Apparently, she'd been too furious just now and forgotten to hold back...

"Chief..." A Guard Department officer approaching from the side called out cautiously as he watched Swire hopping around in place.

"Hiss, help me into the car... Suika, don't you run off either. Come back with us!"

Suika nodded and followed Swire, limping as they boarded the police car back to Lungmen.

By the time night fell, the vehicle had reached the checkpoint.

Seeing the tall, upright figure of the imposing woman standing beside the road, Suika instinctively shrank back.

Following Suika's gaze, Swire spotted Hoshiguma by the roadside. Her mood improved for once, and she couldn't help teasing her.

"What, you know how to be scared too?"

"I'm not scared of her. She's not my mom... It's just that I'm staying at her place, so sneaking out really isn't a good thing..." As Suika spoke, she saw the other woman looking over and curled herself up even smaller.

"Don't be afraid. You did a great service this time. I'll explain it to Hoshiguma for you." Swire was in an excellent mood.

She had captured a fugitive defector and recovered Great Yan's important border patrol deployment map. Though she'd lost a day of vacation, she'd still made out like a bandit.

With a merit like this, wouldn't she get promoted three ranks in a row?

Thinking about riding on top of that pink sausage dragon's head and making her call her "MADAM" no matter how unwilling she was made Swire feel utterly delighted.

As the vehicle approached, Hoshiguma glanced inside. Seeing Suika curled into a ball in the seat, apparently trying to pretend she was a literal ball, she found it both irritating and amusing.

When Swire had called that afternoon to say Suika was with her, Hoshiguma hadn't believed it.

After all, she couldn't imagine how Suika had crossed nearly a hundred kilometers overnight to reach the town where Swire was.

But when she returned home and saw the gift Suika had left behind, she realized she still knew far too little about this child.

On the way over, she had learned the full story from Swire's messages and was even more shocked.

Because Swire said she had run into Suika that morning.

But before Hoshiguma had left the previous night, Suika had still been safely inside the house.

So how had she gotten out of the already sealed-off Lungmen? How had she found her way there through the night? Hoshiguma had countless questions for Suika, yet when she actually saw her, she couldn't ask a single one.

"Get in first! Let's head back to the Guard Department." Swire glanced at ostrich-like Suika, then invited Hoshiguma into the car.

After getting in, Hoshiguma sat beside the still-unconscious suspect. She grabbed his hair and lifted his head. When she saw his face, her expression changed several times.

"So it really is this kid... Sigh!" Hoshiguma finally let out a sigh.

Until seeing him in person, she hadn't believed the murderer of the two elderly members of the Wang Household could be the youngest son they had always been so proud of.

Now, she only felt sorry for the two elders. They had worked so hard to raise such an ungrateful wretch. It was truly a pity for those kind old people who had always gotten along well with the neighbors.

The vehicle soon arrived outside the Guard Department, but before anyone could get out, several shadowy figures surrounded it.

"We're taking this person." The leader pointed at Wang Ke, who was tied up tightly in the back.

Swire immediately bristled. She'd only caught this man by sacrificing her vacation. These people were all hooded, their faces obscured, and the moment they arrived, they wanted to take away an important suspect. How could she possibly agree?

"Who are you? Attacking a police car right outside the Guard Department? Are you tired of living?" Swire watched them warily, casually picking up a rubber baton.

The other officers also raised their weapons, watching the unidentified people with caution.

"Lower your weapons, lower your weapons. Don't fight..." Just then, Jiu hurried out from the Guard Department gate with several others.

She first nodded to the other side's leader, then pulled Swire aside.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? They're Dali Temple law enforcement officers. They came specifically for this traitor."

Upon hearing that they were from Dali Temple, one of the Three Judicial Offices responsible for all of Great Yan's cases, Swire knew she wouldn't be able to keep the prisoner.

After all, they were Great Yan's highest judicial authority. A small Guard Department like hers had no power to contend with them.

Seeing that things had been settled, the cloaked figures went straight in and dragged Wang Ke out.

"Hand over the deployment map too," the leader continued.

"Tch..." Swire reluctantly walked to the front passenger seat, took out the box containing the deployment map, and handed it over.

"You didn't look at it?" the other party asked, staring at the box.

"I didn't look at it, so I didn't look at it. Believe me or don't, I don't care!" Swire was extremely unhappy. Such a huge merit had been snatched away from her, and the thought of her lost vacation made her even more irritated.

The other party said nothing more. After taking the box, they left with their people.

Watching them disappear into the distance, Swire stomped her foot.

"Ow!"

The injury from kicking the tree earlier hadn't healed yet, and that stomp had hit it again...

The Kind Ghost

Watching Swire clutch her foot and shed little pearly tears from the pain, everyone immediately emerged from the tense atmosphere.

"That injury looks pretty serious. I've got some inherited liniment at my place. Rub it on, rest for one night, and you'll be fine by tomorrow."

Hoshiguma crouched to inspect Swire's slightly swollen ankle, then scooped her up in a princess carry and headed inside.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Caught off guard by Hoshiguma's sudden move, the little tiger felt like her brain had stopped working and could only make meaningless noises.

"Stop hey-ing. Since you made such a great contribution, I can approve one more day of leave for you."

Jiu followed them in with a smile. The moment she finished speaking, Swire's eyes lit up.

Leave from the Guard Department was hard to request, and they couldn't even take holidays off.

Although one extra day wasn't enough for her to return to that little town and continue enjoying herself, she could still wander around a shopping mall and have a fun spending spree.

"Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Yay—ow!" The little tiger wriggled happily after hearing her leave had been restored, only to tug at the injury again.

After applying the medicine, Swire soon fell into a deep sleep in the temporary rest area used by officers pulling all-nighters.

Once that was settled, the others found Suika. Chen had taken her to the cafeteria, where she was wolfing down food.

After running around all day without eating a single bite, she had long been starving.

The Guard Department cafeteria's late-night food was fairly ordinary, but to someone starving to the point of dizziness, even stones with a little salt would have tasted delicious—let alone these fragrant dishes.

"Burp! Can I get another bowl of mixed noodles?"

Rubbing her bulging belly, Suika felt she could still stuff a little more into her mouth.

"That's enough. You ate a bowl of claypot rice, twenty dumplings, and two bottles of hot Tumor Milk. That's as much as those gluttonous big eaters in the department can put away.

It's not good for a child to eat until she's stuffed. Here, wipe your mouth."

Chen didn't mind the food itself, but she couldn't possibly keep giving Suika food when she was already about to burst.

"Okay!" Suika let out a regretful burp, then took the tissue Chen handed her and wiped the grease from around her mouth.

At that moment, Hoshiguma and Jiu arrived.

"Full?"

"Mhm, mhm. Your Guard Department's food is really good..."

Suika leaned back in her chair, utterly satisfied.

"Then if you're full, come with me!" Hoshiguma reached out to ruffle Suika's long hair, then stood up.

The two walked one after the other down the corridor and soon reached the entrance.

"Huh? Isn't this supposed to be the interrogation room?" Suika watched Hoshiguma climb onto her motorcycle and point to the empty seat beside her, signaling for Suika to get on. She asked in confusion.

"Interrogate you for what? We're going home! It's this late. Are we supposed to stay here and sleep?"

Hoshiguma said with a smile.

"Uh..." Suika got onto the motorcycle in disbelief. Amid the roar of the engine, the motorcycle left the Guard Department and headed home.

"We're really just back like this?" Standing at the door, Suika felt like none of it was real.

"What else? Lock you up in the Guard Department?

We do have a lot to ask you, but what happened today can temporarily clear you of more suspicion.

Get some sleep first. We'll talk about everything tomorrow."

After saying that, Hoshiguma went into the washroom.

Just as Hoshiguma finished washing up and got into bed, Suika came before her with a miserable expression.

"I ate too much. My stomach's stuffed, and I can't sleep..."

Looking at Suika before her, Hoshiguma sighed helplessly.

"Fine. I'll take you out for a walk."

The two walked one after the other along the street.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the normally bustling streets seemed especially desolate tonight.

"It's only nine. Why does it feel like there's no one outside?" Suika muttered as she spoke.

When they reached the Dong Family Fresh Food Shop, Uncle Dong was sitting in a grand armchair. Before him, a young man was sweating profusely as he worked through a pile of fish balls.

"Uncle Dong, did you take on an apprentice?" Hoshiguma asked with a smile as she walked to the entrance.

The old man inside nodded slightly when he saw Hoshiguma.

"So it's Hoshiguma. It's rare to see you out at this hour. Still investigating the fire at Granny Wang's Household?"

"Yes. Granny Wang's family were among the old residents who came to Lungmen with you. They suffered such an unexplained disaster so suddenly. We younger folk have a duty to investigate this matter thoroughly and give the neighbors an explanation, don't we?"

Hoshiguma answered with great sincerity.

"Well said. The Wang Household really had it rough. They worked hard to raise all those children, and before they could even enjoy a good life, they were gone. It should indeed be investigated properly.

But..."

Uncle Dong glanced at Suika beside Hoshiguma before continuing.

"If you ask me, Old Wang's death was rather suspicious. You should investigate it carefully."