Man on the ark, forced to become king

"I really didn't expect this, it's completely unexpected."

Chen and Hoshiguma left with a group of Royal Guard officers, while Lin Lu led Lani out of the street in the opposite direction. Unbeknownst to everyone, at the very top of the apartment building, the white-haired dragon-horned girl was sitting on the edge of the building, watching everything that was happening below.

Nian's tone was tinged with emotion. She reached out and pointed, and a faint golden light appeared in the air, landing on her fingers, stretching into two tiny rings, flickering a few times before disappearing.

If Lin Lu were here, she would definitely recognize that it was the secret ring that appeared when he used 'Restore'.

“A completely unfamiliar power, I’ve never seen it before. It’s a bit like the monks from the Eastern Kingdom? But it’s also different. Interesting, really interesting.”

Her history is very long, and she has traveled this land for many years. She feels that she has seen quite a lot, and even the emperor of Yan Kingdom may not know more about this world than she does.

But what I saw today was truly unheard of.

That wasn't Originium Arts, and it had nothing to do with the authority she used. It was also different from the ancient sorcery of the Sarkaz or Letania. In appearance, it was more like the techniques used by the knights of Kazimierz, though only superficially similar.

The double rings constructed by some unknown force look like some kind of formation? They seem to have a certain regularity, and may be a kind of unheard-of written code.

As for the release mechanism and the mechanism of action, they are completely unknown.

The things that felt so unfamiliar to her must have been things she hadn't seen in hundreds of years.

"It seems that the old man's divination was not entirely a hoax; it was somewhat credible."

After pondering for a long time without finding a result, Nian shook his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Regardless of whether other aspects are accurate, this alone makes her journey from afar to Longmen and the months she spent there worthwhile.

The unknown represents more possibilities; perhaps Lin Lu really has the potential to solve their problems.

Of course, if it can't be solved, it doesn't matter. After all, she's been working so hard for so many years, she doesn't care about failing once.

As for Lin Lu as a person, he was quite to her liking. Making friends with him was one of the few joys in her long life, but in the end, they could only be friends.

If this can be resolved... perhaps there will be an opportunity to go further.

"It's all about timing, fate, and destiny. Let's wait and see."

With a soft laugh, Nian's figure vanished like a phantom, leaving only a gentle breeze on the rooftop, as if it had never been there at all.

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Longmen, inner ring road, central area.

Inside the study, which was distinctly Yan Kingdom style and full of ancient charm, Wei Yanwu, the highest-ranking official of Longmen, paused in his work while reviewing documents. He suddenly looked up and saw, through the bright glass, a crescent-shaped sword aura, as red as blood, soaring into the sky and cutting a narrow crack in the clouds.

"Crimson Sky - Cloud Rift?"

Even from a great distance, Wei Yanwu could still clearly sense that fleeting, familiar aura.

The secret technique of the Yan Kingdom: the Crimson Sky Swordplay.

In Longmen today, only he and his niece, Chen Huijie, can use this sword technique.

As far as he knew, when he handed the Crimson Cloud Sword to his niece not long ago, she was only barely able to use the Crimson Cloud Shadowless Sword. How could she have made such rapid progress?

Swordsmanship training emphasizes hard work, cultivating both body and mind. It relies on the accumulation of effort over time, and there are no shortcuts. Chen's physique may be strong enough, but his skills and temperament are still far from sufficient, so he should not be able to unleash this Cloud Rift technique.

Could something have happened?

After all, the mantra "The sword that cleaves the clouds must stand" is not just empty talk. Without a breakthrough in one's mindset, no matter how strong one's physique or how skilled one's techniques are, one cannot actually cleave the clouds. At best, one can only achieve a superficial resemblance, merely having the form.

Now, this sword energy soaring into the sky has clearly grasped its essence, possessing both form and spirit.

But in Longmen, right under his nose, what could possibly make Chen's mind soar?

Thinking of this, Wei Yanwu became restless.

His fingers tapped lightly twice on the table, and a shadow shrouded in a black raincoat silently appeared in the study, kneeling on one knee.

"Lord Wei, what are your orders?"

"Go and find out what happened to Huijie today and who she came into contact with."

Chapter Ten: Chen's Awakening

"Um, Hoshiguma, do you think we've forgotten something?"

As the vehicle drove out of the street and was about to merge into the main road, Chen, who was holding Chixiao, suddenly felt that something was wrong and couldn't help but ask a question.

squeak--!

Hoshiguma slammed on the brakes, leaving long tire marks on the road. The speeding police car slid forward a few meters before coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

When Chen said that, she seemed to remember something she had forgotten.

"The store! The store that exploded! We didn't even go inside to check!"

When she arrived there, her first thought was of the thugs lying on the ground, and with Lin Lu's intervention, she completely forgot about the shop where the explosion had occurred!

There was no investigation into whether there were any injured people inside, the extent of the damage, or any other follow-up information. This is a serious dereliction of duty!

She's been with the Guard Bureau for two years now, how could she make such a ridiculous and basic mistake? She must be out of her mind...

Fortunately, the car had only driven a few hundred meters and hadn't gone too far. If it had gone back to the Guard Bureau like that, it would definitely have resulted in punishment.

Thinking of this, Hoshiguma quickly used the car's communicator to notify the police officers who had followed behind to go back and investigate the scene. She breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a response.

"Phew~ I hope nothing serious happens... otherwise we'll both lose our salaries. Sorry, it was my oversight."

"I hadn't thought of it before, Lin Lu, he..."

Thinking about her previous act of asking for swordsmanship advice, Chen blushed a little. Not only had Hoshiguma forgotten, but she had also been so shocked by Lin Lu's drawing of the Crimson Sky Sword that she hadn't even had time to react.

The main thing is that drawing out the Crimson Sky is just too amazing! And then he used Crimson Sky Cloud Rift... Anyone who has worked hard for more than ten years to achieve their goal has been achieved by someone else so easily!

"Speaking of which, what did Lin Lu do there? And what are you wearing..."

The police car restarted and moved forward slowly. After calming down, Hoshiguma drove more slowly this time.

She and Chen definitely couldn't go back to investigate the scene with the other officers, since the car was carrying a seriously injured suspect who needed to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. They would also be responsible for guarding the suspect for a period of time to prevent him from doing anything rash while receiving medical treatment.

It was only then that she noticed that Chen was different from usual today. Not only was his hair unkempt and casually draped, but his clothes were also quite simple, consisting of only a white shirt and shorts, which were rather large and looked like casual home wear. Moreover, he was not carrying his other sword.

It's no exaggeration to say that she had never seen Chen like this before. Usually, no matter when she saw Chen, she was always dressed neatly and meticulously.

“My house is right above the shop that exploded. I was resting inside when it happened, and I jumped without any preparation.”

Chen looked at his clothes and felt they weren't very presentable.

It was just casual home wear, not suitable for wearing outside, but there's nothing we can do now. The suspect is still in the car, and there are probably many follow-up matters. There's no time to let her go home and change her clothes before coming back.

I'll just have to make do for now...

Loungewear isn't exactly respectable, but it's not exactly revealing either.

As for Lin Lu... Chen found it a bit difficult to mention, but considering that the two of them didn't really have any special relationship, he felt much more confident.

"Lin Lu actually lives with me. The rent there is too expensive for me to afford, so we share a room."

"Huh? Sharing an apartment?"

Hoshiguma's eyes narrowed, and he even slowed down the car.

In places like Longmen, sharing an apartment is indeed a common practice. After all, rents for apartments closer to the interior are very expensive, and ordinary office workers simply cannot afford the high rents, so they have no choice but to share an apartment.

Moreover, it is not uncommon for men and women to live together.

But this time the people involved are Chen and Lin Lu...

For some reason, Hoshiguma felt a little awkward.

However, she didn't say it aloud, but simply nodded slightly.

"You guys were pretty lucky to arrive at the right time. Luckily, these people didn't get away, otherwise things would have been difficult."

"I went downstairs as soon as I heard the noise, and just then I saw these people running out. But it looks like my vacation is ruined."

Looking in the rearview mirror at the suspect lying dead behind her, Chen was a little angry. She only had three days off a month, and now she had wasted one day for no reason. What bad luck!

Why would these lunatics inexplicably go and bomb a clothing store that wasn't doing very well, especially since it happened to be right below her house!

"Go back and apply to the director; maybe they'll make it up to you."

The police car turned the corner and merged into the main road. Hoshiguma turned on the police lights again, watching the vehicles in front of him constantly swerve to avoid it, and also glanced back.

"That tail, those ears, is it a Lupo? Or is it some madman who escaped from Syracuse?"

She has her reasons for saying that.

As is well known, Syracuse is home to the largest Rupo population and has no unified government. Local gangs are rampant, and their style is quite barbaric, with constant fighting and chaos.

If those troublemaking gangsters really did infiltrate Longmen, it wouldn't be surprising what they did.

They're a bunch of lunatics.

"Who knows? I can't understand why they would use a bomb in an ordinary clothing store. That's a dangerous item that's strictly prohibited in Lungmen. Just smuggling it in would take a lot of effort, and the power of the explosion at the time... it was probably not an ordinary bomb."

Chen recalled the scene and felt that the explosion was unusual. She had some understanding of the power of ordinary explosives, and that a small amount of explosives could not blow up a shop like that.

"This matter is not simple. Do you remember the bombing that happened in the slum last month?"

"Hmm, it even alarmed the Special Inspectorate... Hoshiguma, do you think I'd be qualified to be transferred to the Special Inspectorate if I could investigate this case thoroughly?"

"What are you thinking? That's definitely not enough. The Special Inspectorate is very dangerous. Why do you suddenly want to be transferred there?"

Hoshiguma glanced at Chen, who seemed lost in thought, somewhat surprised.