Ark, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Was Completed

"Hello... who is this?"

When Lin Yuxia answered the phone, her voice was gentle and slightly hoarse, carrying the natural weariness of a long, busy day. Every syllable revealed deep exhaustion, yet was mixed with courtesy and resilience.

Hearing that voice, Ch'en looked at Luo Chen with curiosity.

She was already looking forward to seeing how Luo Chen would handle what came next.

Given Lin Yuxia's current state, once she learned that Luo Chen was the culprit, she would be here with a blade in less than half an hour.

Even the Lungmen Guard Department would not be able to stop her.

Yet there was not the slightest trace of panic on Luo Chen's face. Instead, he smiled gently.

"Hello, ma'am. I am the officer assigned by Superintendent Ch'en to handle the matter of Mr. Rat King being slandered. My name is Luo Chen. You may call me Officer Luo."

Bang—

"What are you talking about?"

Before Lin Yuxia could respond, Ch'en slammed the table and rose to her feet.

She had given Luo Chen the phone number so he could explain the misunderstanding, not so he could scam someone.

Not to mention that Luo Chen was openly using her name as a cover.

When had she ever assigned him to do this?

How could this guy spout such nonsense without even blushing?

The instant Chen Huijie slammed the table, Luo Chen muted the call. Turning back, he said calmly.

"Superintendent Ch'en, you do not want her to find out that you instructed me to secretly investigate Rat King, do you?"

"When did I instruct you?!"

Luo Chen casually picked up the practical assessment assignment on the table and held it up before Ch'en.

"Superintendent Ch'en, think about it. Right after you assigned me a task like this, rumors concerning Rat King appeared in Lungmen."

"Even if I prove to you that this task had nothing to do with Rat King being slandered, do you think the lady on the other end of the call would believe it?"

Following Luo Chen's description, Ch'en imagined the scene.

If Lin Yuxia learned that she had sent Luo Chen to secretly investigate Rat King three days ago, only for Luo Chen to go straight into framing him...

No matter how innocent she was, she would definitely be blamed for it.

Wait. Why did Luo Chen's words sound so much like a threat?

No, no. She was so angry that her mind had gone numb. This was a threat.

"Are you threatening me?"

Today had truly opened Ch'en's eyes.

She had never imagined that within just a few minutes, she would first be lectured as though she were someone's daughter, then instructed as though she were a subordinate, and finally threatened as though someone had leverage over her.

Based on the sheer depravity Luo Chen had displayed in half an hour, it would not be unjust to lock him in a detention center for ten years.

Could this be the honest man Hoshiguma had described?

Luo Chen remained calm.

"Superintendent Ch'en, I have no intention of threatening you. I am merely fulfilling the agreement between us. For Lungmen's stability, I hope you will not interfere with me excessively."

"Otherwise, you will bear responsibility for all consequences that follow."

"Just imagine the news of senior Lungmen Guard Department officials colluding with Lungmen's underground emperor reaching the public. Wouldn't that be explosive?"

"Will you let me handle this matter successfully through lawful and reasonable means? Or will you let it spread across the city and throw Lungmen into unrest?"

"It is all in your hands. As a newcomer who may join the Lungmen Guard Department, I respect your opinion."

"But as a Lungmen citizen with a conscience, I advise you to think more about Lungmen's people and let this incident be settled smoothly."

"Of course, you could also choose to punch me to death."

"Maybe—just maybe—if you kill me, the rumors will not keep spreading. Lungmen might remain peaceful for a long time, and you might continue being a superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department."

"But how Lungmen's people would see you then, how Auntie Hoshiguma would see you, how Rat King would see you... I cannot say."

Her fist clenched!

Chen Huijie's fist clenched!

She wanted to punch Luo Chen's skull clean off, but his composed expression seemed to be warning her that if she killed him, Lungmen would face an even greater crisis.

Did this guy have other recordings and videos?

Or was he recording her right now?

Damn it!

This guy was such a bastard!

How could he be this infuriating?

Chen Huijie kicked over the trash can beside her, then dropped onto the empty bed next to it and turned away from Luo Chen.

Clearly, she had made her choice.

Luo Chen turned his microphone back on. Lin Yuxia's tone on the other end had already become somewhat anxious.

"Hello... hello! What is going on over there? Why did you stop talking?"

"My apologies, ma'am. While investigating your matter, we encountered a hacker attack. The problem has now been fixed. Before long, we will be able to use technical means to remove those defamatory videos and posts."

When Lin Yuxia heard that even the Lungmen Guard Department had suffered a hacker attack, she grew nervous as well. But when she heard that the department could remove the slanderous videos...

She let out a long breath of relief.

"...Officer Luo, I have truly troubled you. Could you tell me who exactly is targeting us from behind the scenes?"

"My apologies, but we are still investigating that. If we learn anything, I will call you immediately. May I ask how you should be addressed, ma'am?"

"My surname is Lin."

"Understood, Ms. Lin. As Superintendent Ch'en's friend, I would like to offer you a reminder. Although Rat King has retired, the entanglements surrounding him have not vanished."

"The Lungmen Guard Department can erase this sort of slander once, twice, even three times. But after enough time passes, even if we remove the relevant statements, what will Lungmen's citizens think?"

"At that point, whether it is a rumor or not, it will become the truth."

Luo Chen's analysis cast dark clouds over Lin Yuxia's mood just as it had begun to improve.

As Luo Chen said, if this kind of organized smear campaign happened a few more times in Lungmen, the rumors would become true.

After all, ordinary people only knew Rat King through hearsay. Once the stories turned foul, her father's lifelong reputation would be ruined.

But she could not catch the Black Hand behind it. What was she supposed to do?

Could the person Chen Huijie had introduced have a solution?

Lin Yuxia tested the waters.

"Officer Luo, do you have any ideas? If you can resolve this matter smoothly, I can give you whatever reward you want. Any amount of Lungmen Dollars is fine."

Hearing this, Luo Chen, who had maintained a gentle attitude all along, suddenly lowered his voice and became stern.

"Ms. Lin, please watch your wording. Do not use Lungmen Dollars to test the integrity of Lungmen Guard Department personnel. We have discipline."

Those words made Lin Yuxia feel an aura of righteousness.

Even Ch'en, who was listening in, felt her scalp tingle. She could not understand what Luo Chen was trying to do.

A scammer talking about discipline was more than a little ridiculous.

"Ah... my apologies, Officer Luo. I have spent too long in the Lower City. Please forgive me."

Lin Yuxia reacted quickly and immediately apologized to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen returned to his previous gentle tone.

"Ms. Lin, I simply want you to understand that the Lungmen Guard Department is helping you not because of how much money you can offer, but because we are considering Lungmen's stability."

"Rather than thanking us, it would be better for you to contribute more to Lungmen's public security."

Lin Yuxia understood now. He did not want money—he wanted a favor.

"I want to meet Rat King in person."

"Officer Luo, thank you for your help and for all your hard work. On Rat King's behalf, I will remember this favor from the officer. If you ever need anything in the future, you may contact me at any time," Lin Yuxia said.

"It was no trouble. Serving the people does not count as a favor. While I, Luo Chen, do enjoy other people's gratitude, I do not like gratitude of this nature."

"Ah?!" Lin Yuxia was completely thrown off now.

"The Lungmen Guard Department has always handled matters openly and impartially, enforcing the law fairly." Luo Chen rose to his feet and spoke with righteous severity. "Likewise, if we wish to resolve this incident satisfactorily, we will need your cooperation."

"What do you mean?"

"Ms. Lin, the Lungmen Guard Department actually has an extremely professional public relations team. As long as you can get Rat King to accept a private interview with one of our department's officers, we can use a public opinion campaign to defeat those slanderers openly and fairly."

"But he has already retired." Lin Yuxia hesitated.

Her father was a former underworld boss. Having him privately interviewed by the Lungmen Guard Department somehow felt strange.

"Ms. Lin, it is precisely because Mr. Rat King has retired that he needs to accept an exclusive interview with the Lungmen Guard Department."

"If he were still active in the underworld, we could not invite him, could we?"

"Besides, there are indeed few records of Rat King's private life before he built his career. With history, if you do not record it yourself, someone else will record it for you."

"I am doing this for Mr. Rat King's sake as well."

"Furthermore, Superintendent Ch'en currently has some minor trouble within the Lungmen Guard Department. Mr. Rat King may need to cooperate more with the department's work in the future."

Lin Yuxia froze for a moment before suddenly understanding.

So this was what Officer Luo had been building up to beneath all that high-minded talk.

Chen Huijie was currently competing with Swire for the position of Chief Superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Department. As Chen Huijie's subordinate, Officer Luo naturally wanted her to secure the final victory.

He said he wanted neither money nor favors, but what he actually wanted was merit.

He wanted her to provide some cases for Chen Huijie to improve her record, so that he could rise through the ranks alongside her.

Where had Chen Huijie found such a confidant, someone who considered matters so thoroughly for her?

If Chen Huijie had even half this man's flexibility, she would have become Chief Superintendent long ago.

After figuring out Luo Chen's intentions, Lin Yuxia immediately put on an excited tone.

"We will cooperate with the Lungmen Guard Department's work one hundred percent! Our family has always run legitimate businesses, but during our operations, we have also faced harassment from certain criminal forces."

"We have some clues regarding them and would like to provide them to Superintendent Ch'en."

"It would be wonderful if we could discuss this in person."

"Then let us set a time. How about tomorrow evening?" Luo Chen glanced at Superintendent Ch'en, who was sitting beside him.

Ch'en nodded helplessly, indicating that anything was fine.

"Not tomorrow." Luo Chen could wait a day, but Lin Yuxia could not wait at all. "Officer Luo, let us do it tonight."

Chen Huijie immediately shook her head. She had a regular meeting tonight and had no time at all.

Luo Chen thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Superintendent Ch'en does not have time, and it would not be convenient for her to appear in person. However, she has fully authorized me to interview Mr. Rat King."

Lin Yuxia said, "I understand. Then I will send someone to pick you up tonight."

"Ms. Lin, that is very thoughtful of you."

After listening to Luo Chen's entire call, Chen Huijie felt a chill run down her spine.

Luo Chen simply did not seem like a good person.

He barely even seemed human.

A student fresh out of police academy was not only skilled at spreading rumors—who would have thought he was also an expert scammer?