Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

If that gang had noticed the trash can next to her, Theresa wouldn't have been able to move it aside.

It's not that Theresa was afraid of a few street thugs or hooligans. In fact, given the ridiculous organization on the other side, even ten more squads wouldn't be a match for Theresa. Great heroes, demon kings, generals—Theresa only needed a mental shockwave, and all those guys would be lying on the ground, dazed and ready to be slaughtered. In this respect, although Wayne and Theresa used different methods, the results they achieved were the same.

However, Theresa couldn't do it.

The demons' unauthorized actions in Lungmen are a sensitive matter, especially since Theresa is currently working for Victoria. If she were to clash with the locals, Wayne, being in the right, would never back down for her sake. If this were to cause a conflict between Wayne and Wei Yanwu, disrupting Wayne's plans, it would be a net loss, and Theresa would feel incredibly guilty.

Fortunately, these people were not very perceptive and did not see through Theresa's disguise.

A short while later, Chen finally arrived, albeit belatedly. Upon seeing Theresa standing by the trash can, unusually holding an unlit cigarette, the observant Chen immediately understood what had happened. He fumbled in his pocket for a lighter while moving towards Theresa, finally finding one just before reaching her.

It had Hoshiguma's image carved on it. She'd confiscated it from Ghost Sister. Although she was now a police officer, Hoshiguma still retained some of the traits from her gangster days—like smoking and drinking. Chen had confiscated her lighter to correct these bad habits, but unexpectedly, it came in handy here.

"Hey sis, wanna use some fire?"

Handing over the lighter, Chen took the opportunity to whisper to Theresa:

"Did you catch them? Where are they?"

"Thank you."

Theresa took the lighter and answered softly:

"It's right here."

"Hiding in the trash can?"

Chen Xiaoxiao was surprised. These days, petty thieves will stop at nothing to avoid punishment. If it were her, she probably wouldn't have imagined that someone would put her in such a lowly position, hiding in a stinky garbage can.

Theresa smiled and shook her head, repeating what Anso had said:

"This little bucket is her home,"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Drinking tea is life, arresting people is work.

"It's alright now, it's alright, sweetie."

Theresa gently stroked Anso's head. The girl's hair was in poor condition, feeling dry to the touch, probably due to long-term malnutrition.

However, to develop so well despite malnutrition, she must be using her energy wisely. Theresa was, of course, referring to her height.

An Suo sat on a small stool in the bubble tea shop, her legs nervously pressed together on the table leg. She held a cup of bubble tea in both hands, making slurping sounds as she sipped it. She glanced around at the other customers.

"What are you looking at?"

Sitting across from her, Chen waved his hand in front of her eyes, startling her so much that she bit her straw and quickly apologized, explaining:

"I'm sorry, Inspector Chan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to steal their things, absolutely not!"

The explanation, which sounded like "protesting too much," was a self-inflicted wound. Chen Sir, who could tell at a glance that the little guy had just relapsed into his professional habit, helplessly buryed his head in his arms and let out a long sigh.

She's no longer angry, or rather, she can't get angry anymore.

An Suo was a pitiful child. Although Chen didn't want to admit that such talent existed in the world, An Suo did seem to be born to be a thief. Her skills were so superb and her timing so precise that she even managed to commit crimes under surveillance cameras without being easily caught by the police.

But this young girl was also incredibly unlucky. Although she was skilled and had excellent judgment, her luck in this line of work was always exceptionally bad. Just how bad was her luck? As long as the amount she secretly stole exceeded 100 LMD, there would inevitably be witnesses near the scene of the crime; if it exceeded 500 LMD, the witness was very likely to be a police officer; and if it exceeded 1,000 LMD, the person she stole from was very likely an undercover officer.

So much so that many times she was arrested for no apparent reason, leading her colleagues at the Guard Bureau to believe that she was probably trying to scam people. Instead of criticizing her for theft, they educated her on the laws against scams and staged accidents.

To prevent some colleagues from using underhanded tactics to inflate their performance records and be selected as outstanding police officers of the year, Chief Ninth specifically established a special rule: "There is a reward for apprehending underhanded individuals and bringing them back to the police station, but no performance bonus," which was added to the annual performance evaluation criteria. This rule was approved by most colleagues.

Chen was not unaware of Ansuo's life story. She was an orphan, born in a slum, and after contracting Oripathy, even illegal child labor companies in the slum's lawless areas refused to take her in. Left with no other choice, she had to steal to survive.

Poverty is not a justification for crime, but when poverty prevents one from finding a way to change their fate, and theft is not for money, but for survival, what should one choose in such a situation?

The world is often not simply black and white, but rather a gray area. Chen, having witnessed the events in the North with Victoria and Wayne, understood this sooner than she imagined. She believed that the ruthless leader of the Northern rebels might have once been a great hero who protected Victoria and achieved great feats, maintaining his loyalty and reverence for Wayne, the king's son, even in death. And the notorious thief who caused property damage to the people might have been just a little girl who couldn't even afford enough to eat, and who would cherish a cup of milk tea for ages, refusing to finish it.

She didn't get the water gun that ridiculous fate had in store for her, and she hasn't even grasped the Crimson Sky yet, but she understood this much earlier.

Lungmen, a bustling metropolis and the premier international city in eastern Terra, still has people living in garbage cans. Faced with threats from criminal gangs, they choose to flee rather than seek help from the nearby police. Does this merely reflect a problem with Ansuo's personal character?

Before falling into deep reflection, Chen composed himself.

Now is not the time to do that; we need to solve the problem of the hidden rope first.

She rubbed her temples, trying to relax her unconsciously anxious mind, and gave a relatively gentle smile as she asked:

"Little bunny, don't be afraid. I'm here, no one can bully you."

An Suo raised his head, glanced at Chen, then quickly lowered his head again and replied:

"That's what you always say before you start lying."

Chen scratched her cheek. Indeed, that was their standard opening line when they spoke to An Suo in the Guard Bureau's interrogation room. After saying that, either An Suo would confess and they'd eat early, or An Suo wouldn't confess and they'd have a late-night snack. No one was bullying her; she was just going to be in jail.

Theresa glanced at Chen helplessly, rubbing An Suo's head as she spoke:

"Superintendent Chen is lying, I wouldn't lie. Tell your sister, okay?"

"Not very good." An Su pouted and shook her head.

Do you really think she's a child, so easily fooled?

Although she was only fourteen years old, go ask around in the slums. Is fourteen considered young in the slums? The poorer ones have already been working there for two years!

If she hadn't contracted Oripathy, she wouldn't have resorted to petty theft. The factory, though corrupt, at least provided food and lodging. Why was she now left without a proper meal, forced to choose between the allure of freedom and prison food?

Even if we assume the worst, An Su is a person of principle. She accepted the Emperor's money, so she had to do what he entrusted to her. Although she didn't know where those people had chased the short, chubby penguin to, no one was going to take the metal box entrusted to her for safekeeping away from her!

Theresa gave an awkward laugh.

What to do? Although Theresa had lived for (censored) years, seen countless storms, and possessed an unbelievably rich life experience, there was one thing she had absolutely no experience with: "raising children."

Theresa has lived all her life, and she's only ever been in a relationship once, with Wayne. Let alone raising a child. She knows exactly how to interrogate someone, but she's completely clueless about childcare. While Ansel has committed a crime, the current situation clearly doesn't warrant taking her back to the Guard Bureau for interrogation as a criminal.

How about we ask Wayne for one?

But this isn't the right time. Besides, that kind of thing... let's wait until things settle down! Yes! They're all currently burdened with the mission of the life and death of their respective races; they can't be distracted by something like this.

But seriously, are all Caucas children this adorable? Even though we can't have children now, adopting one shouldn't be a problem, right? I should go back and discuss it with Wayne—maybe we can adopt a Caucas child to gain experience for the future?

"What am I thinking?!"

Theresa slapped her hands over her cheeks with a loud "smack," her face burning red as she slumped onto the table. Chen, sitting across the table, looked completely bewildered.

"If there's nothing else, may I leave?"

An Suo put down the bubble tea she had finally slurped up, and said softly. Just as she was about to slip away, a silver bracelet was placed on her wrist.

"No way, you just committed pickpocketing in the shopping street, didn't you? You have to come with me to the police station for questioning."

"Hey, I thought we were friends just because you bought me milk tea!" An Suo cried out in anguish.

Chen kept a straight face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards as he said:

"What kind of friend wouldn't share their troubles with another friend? Besides, buying you bubble tea is life, arresting you is work. Since you won't chat about life with your friends over bubble tea, then I guess I'll just have to ask you to put on handcuffs and go to the Guard Bureau to talk about work?"

With a face like a little rabbit, An Su glared at Inspector Chen for a long time before finally turning his head away and stammering:

"If we're going to talk about life, could you buy me another drink?"

"Mao Mentai La~"

Chapter Thirty-Five: She wanted to live, what was wrong with that?

"Pour this child a cappuccino."

What is cappuccino?

Simply put, it's a type of coffee.

"Then I won't drink it. Coffee is bitter!"

An Suo frowned and shook his head in refusal.

Chen pursed her lips. She had almost forgotten that Xiao Ansuo had never been to a beverage shop before. To her, the most expensive cappuccino and the cheapest original bubble tea were actually no different. In fact, bubble tea was more to her liking, since it was sweet and children love sweets.

My subconscious intention to order an expensive drink to express my sincerity was thwarted by this strange reason. It's really strange that it's the poor and children who can choose according to their own preferences, while the rich are bound by strange things like "face" and "showiness."

"Then let's get her a cup of bubble tea with sugar."

Chen changed his mind.

"Give me a lemonade."

Theresa also raised her hand and ordered.

She hadn't been to beverage shops much. At the Victoria Iron Palace, a pastry chef was on hand to prepare afternoon tea and drinks. While the rich, aromatic coffee was delicious, it could get a bit cloying after a while. However, she didn't really like the "sour plum drink" that Wayne liked, so she usually just made do with coffee. This rare opportunity was a good chance to try something different, so she could tell the pastry chef to try something different when she got back.

"For me, I'd like a glass of oat milk."

Chen thought for a moment and then said. She visited the beverage shop more often than the two people mentioned above, but she wasn't exactly a regular. She preferred roadside tea stalls to beverage shops. A bowl of hot tea was much more appealing than overly sweet milk tea.

Three drinks were quickly brought to the table. After An Suo took a couple of sips of her milk tea, revealing a blissful expression of being delighted by the sweetness, Chen Cai calmly asked:

"So, now that you've had my tea and are my friend, tell me, Little Anso, what's been going on lately?"

An Suo's eyes darted around, and he chuckled awkwardly:

Can I not tell you?

Chen placed the handcuffs on the table and laughed:

"Can I drink that tea for free?"

"Indeed, absolutely not." An Suo scratched his head, his playful smile fading, and replied, "It's just, that, that..."

"Don't rush, tell me slowly."

Theresa, who had stopped drinking after taking a sip of lemonade, patted Anso on the back to comfort him.

This attempt failed; she clearly preferred a milder, more lingering flavor, and the stimulating sparkling water didn't feel pleasant to her at all.

"Hmm, okay."

Seeing that he could no longer fool her, An Suo finally spoke:

"It's because of the Emperor."

"The Emperor? A true dragon?" Theresa asked in surprise.

Chen waved his hand and explained:

"No, how could it be a real dragon... Emperor is a singer, a famous rapper in Colombia and even the whole of Terra. He is also the boss of a logistics company in Lungmen. Emperor is his pseudonym. I don't know his real name. He looks like a round, fat penguin wearing sunglasses."