On the Ark.

"We've finally made it to Lungmen, want to go out and explore?" After putting away his cigarette, ACE rested his hands behind his head on the bed and said quite comfortably, "Actually, I've always wanted to buy a house in Lungmen. This city is really something to look forward to."

"Then why not buy it?"

Lin Ye sat on another bed and began chatting with ACE.

“First and foremost, it’s about money. The prices here in Lungmen, especially housing, are incomparable to other places. I heard you’re from Chernobog, right? You know, one house in Lungmen is worth three houses in Chernobog.” ACE shrugged and said, “Although I could afford it if I gritted my teeth, it’s really unnecessary. Someone like me with no ties only needs a place to sleep to live comfortably.”

"Aren't you married yet?"

"Marriage? What does that mean? I've never heard of that word before." ACE looked puzzled.

"Uh." Lin Ye was at a loss for words.

ACE laughed again: "Just kidding. What I meant was that someone like me could never get married. Whoever marries me would be unlucky. I'd rather be a bachelor for life."

"No, maybe you just haven't met the right person yet."

"Pfft." ACE suddenly laughed. "Dr. Lin, although I know you're trying to comfort me, don't you think what you're saying is more suitable for young men and women who have just come of age? Those in their twenties who have already given up on life and think they'll never meet a good partner. Not for an old man like me, right?"

Lin Ye immediately felt embarrassed and scratched his head: "Okay, it seems so."

“Haha, it’s probably because you usually interact with people in this age group,” ACE said. “That little girl named Liz, and Ifrit, they both seem to trust you quite a bit.”

Lin Ye sighed: "You said it yourself, it's just 'seems,' it's all just superficial belief. That unlucky kid If it weren't for... never mind, it's nothing."

Lin Ye felt it was best not to publicize Saria too much.

ACE didn't press further, but simply smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I do wish I had a child."

Lin Ye looked at ACE with some surprise: "Didn't you say you didn't want to get married?"

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t… Well, saying I don’t want to doesn’t mean I haven’t done it.” ACE took out the cigarette again, then held it between his nose and lips, squinting as he savored the taste, and then said softly, “I just feel that when a person lives a lifetime, he should leave something behind in the world.”

"...So you want to keep the child?"

“It might not necessarily be a child, but children are certainly very cute.” ACE smiled again, turning to look at Lin Ye. “That’s strange.”

"What's strange?"

"Do you really have some kind of magic?" ACE said softly. "There are many things that I only think about in my heart and rarely mention to others, but when I talk to you, I always can't help but say these thoughts out loud."

"Really?" Lin Ye scratched his head; he hadn't felt anything.

“I think so. That’s probably your talent—making anyone who talks to you feel comfortable and let down their guard. That’s probably why so many people like to ask you for help.” As he spoke, ACE seemed a little tired, so he put down his cigarettes and lighter, shifted to a more comfortable position, and said, “I’m going to rest for a while. What about you?”

Lin Ye replied, "I'm not sleepy yet."

“Let’s go out for a walk. There’s a nice shopping street nearby,” ACE said. “Anyway, Himer is still here, so you don’t need to take care of Ifrit. Take advantage of the time to have some fun. It won’t be so easy for you to leave once Himer goes to work.”

Lin Ye thought about it and agreed with ACE. Coming to Lungmen was a rare opportunity, much like traveling from a suburban university to the city during his university years; it would be a waste not to do some shopping. He knew where the shopping street ACE mentioned was, but he hadn't gone last time because of Nightingale and Ifrit. This time, however, it was different.

"Alright, I'll go take a look then." Lin Ye got out of bed. "Is there anything you need me to bring back?"

“That’s exactly what I was waiting for you to say,” ACE said with a smile. “There’s a tobacco shop on that shopping street.”

"Ok, I see."

ACE took out his wallet, pulled out a stack of LMD (Lungmen Dollars), and handed it to Lin Ye: "Please."

Lin Ye initially didn't want to accept the money, but then thought it wouldn't be right not to, so he took it, asked about the brand, and went out. Before leaving, he considered asking Ifrit to come along, but figured she probably wouldn't want to go out with him, since she was a total homebody. Besides, Ifrit was an infected person, and while Lungmen treated infected people much better than Chernobog, it was still easy to get into trouble in that kind of place, so Lin Ye decided to go alone.

The commercial street is not far from the building, about a few tens of minutes away.

Lin Ye strolled leisurely over, admiring the scenery of Lungmen along the way. Lungmen was the only city that gave him the illusion of returning to his past life, after all, the city was incredibly modern. Compared to Lungmen, Chernobog was like a rural-urban fringe area, or even a small-town rural-urban fringe area. While Lungmen couldn't compare to the first-tier or near-first-tier cities of his previous life, it was certainly a second or third-tier city. However, in the world of Terra, Lungmen was undeniably a top-tier city.

So, it's better to think about the past life.

Lin Ye walked along the commercial street, unable to help but sigh. Lungmen was truly a city that was all show and no substance. Look at this commercial street; it certainly looked impressive on the outside, but in reality… there wasn't a single internet cafe in sight. It was impossible to find a place to go online. Although, in Terra, it was highly likely there wouldn't be a single internet cafe to be found.

So, is it really because he's a grown man and has nothing better to do than go shopping alone?

After completely curing Nightingale, Amiya gave him a bonus, and Kal'tsit reimbursed him for the cost of hiring Penguin Logistics, so he's now "somewhat wealthy." He's the kind of rich guy who wouldn't hesitate for long to order a jianbing (Chinese crepe) with two eggs.

However, having a lot of money but nowhere to spend it made Lin Ye feel somewhat melancholy.

Indeed, money isn't everything.

I'll just go buy the cigarettes for ACE, and then find a coffee shop to have some black tea.

As Lin Ye was thinking this, a woman suddenly screamed behind him: "Aaaaaah! Thief! Thief stole my wallet!"

He paused, then instinctively turned his head and saw a middle-aged woman sitting in the middle of the street, shouting loudly. A long-haired blond man in a black jacket grabbed her backpack and darted into a side alley. Passersby exchanged glances, but none of them offered to help.

However, Lin Ye was different. As a boy who grew up under the red flag, he hesitated for two seconds before rushing over.

Acts of heroism? That's a no-brainer.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to need a natural punching bag.

He had practiced swordsmanship with Yato for a month and learned the Leaping Wave Strike technique that Skadi had taught him. However, apart from sparring with Yato a couple of times, he hadn't experienced any real combat. He believed that this should be a good opportunity for him to put his skills to use.

Thieves are usually not very strong; they should be able to win easily.

And even if he can't win, he still has a gun.

I'm not panicking at all.

Lin Ye shouted loudly, "Don't run, you thief!"

He chased after the thief into the alley, but he didn't know the way and ran around in alleyways for a long time without finding him. Just when he thought the thief had gotten away, he suddenly saw him again at the end of the alley.

A woman in a black jacket with blond hair was rummaging through a woman's wallet with her back to him.

Ha, I caught you after all. You were trying to sell stolen goods, weren't you?

Lin Ye hated thieves more than anything in his life. He had a terrible experience with a thief in middle school. On a bus, a thief used a knife to cut open his pocket and stole his New Year's money. What was even more despicable was that the cut was quite big, exposing half of Lin Ye's buttocks without him even realizing it.

After getting off the bus and walking a few hundred meters, I felt a chill in my crotch and realized something was wrong.

So, you thief, just die!

Lin Ye kicked the thief in the back: "You bastard, you even dare to sell stolen goods!"

The thief let out a scream and lunged forward.

Then Lin Ye felt something was wrong. That scream sounded... like a woman.

Then came the woman's angry roar: "You bastard! You dare assault a police officer! You'd better die right here!"

Chapter 150 I Slept with Inspector Chen (3K) (33 chapters owed)

Lin Ye wondered if he had kicked the wrong person.

But he felt it was probably true, because the fleeing thief he had seen earlier didn't seem to be a woman, but just a delinquent with long blond hair, whose back view seemed broader than the girl in front of him. Furthermore, he was wearing ordinary pants, not the black stockings the girl in front of him was wearing.

So, it seems he really kicked the wrong person... Lin Ye felt like a complete idiot.

The girl he kicked down sprang to her feet like a cat with its fur standing on end. She turned around, her green eyes fixed on Lin Ye, and gritted her teeth as she said, word by word, "You damn bastard, you dare to assault a police officer! You'll die today!"

Assaulting a police officer?!

Lin Ye was immediately shocked. This blonde girl was actually a police officer? But why was a police officer dressed like a thief?!

"Um, I'm sorry." Lin Ye quickly raised his hands and apologized, "I'm so sorry, I kicked the wrong person."

"What's the point of having police if apologies are enough?!" The blonde girl seemed determined to teach Lin Ye a lesson. She rummaged through her backpack a few more times before bursting out with profanity, "Damn it, you forgot your weapon on your leave. If I had a baton, I could have beaten you to death, you bastard."

Lin Ye: "..."

I had a feeling that the irritable police officer's accent sounded somewhat friendly to him.

Lipstick, foundation, sanitary napkins. The irritable blond police officer, unable to find anything that could be called a weapon, became even more enraged and slammed the bag on the ground: "Fine, what weapon do I need to deal with a punk like you? Punk, I swear you'll never forget this day, the day I beat you into an idiot! Remember my name, Senior Superintendent of the Guard Bureau, Swire! Don't forget it when you're in jail!"

"Officer, no, Miss Officer," Lin Ye stammered, unsure how to explain. "It really is a thief..."

"I knew you were an accomplice of the thief!" The hot-tempered policewoman Swire charged straight at Lin Ye, but after running a couple of steps, she felt that her boots were not suitable for fighting, so she kicked them off, her black stockinged feet landing directly on the ground, and then kicked hard at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye was now in an even more awkward position. Fighting back was definitely out of the question. He had already kicked Shi Huaiya; while he could explain it as ignorance before, there was no way to explain it now—it was a genuine assault on a police officer. Therefore, he couldn't draw his sword, nor could he make any aggressive moves; he could only cover his vital areas and passively endure the blows.

Although the hot-tempered police officer Swire looked rather delicate, she was surprisingly strong. When she kicked Lin Ye's arm, Lin Ye felt as if his arm was about to break.

"Officer! It's a misunderstanding!" Lin Ye continued to defend himself. "It really is a misunderstanding! I'm not a thief, I mistook you for a thief."

"You bastard, you still dare to argue!" Swire showed no sign of stopping what she was doing. "You think I'm a thief?! How could anyone in this world think I'm a thief?! Anyone with eyes wouldn't be mistaken! I'm a senior superintendent of the Royal Guard, and you dare call me a! thief!"

Lin Ye was at a loss for words, but he couldn't just stand there and take the beating. This Superintendent Swire was really ruthless when she hit people, and he didn't want to be beaten to death on the streets of Lungmen. So, during one of Swire's side kicks, he suddenly grabbed Swire's leg.

At the same time, he kicked Swire's other leg, intending to subdue her first before explaining things properly.

But to his surprise, he couldn't kick Swire's other leg at all. Swire stood there like a wooden stake, a mocking and disdainful smile playing on her lips.

"You damn loser, you're so bad at fighting!" Swire punched Lin Ye in the head. "Eat shit!"

Seeing the fist coming at him, Lin Ye seemed to suddenly have a flash of inspiration and shouted, "Don't do it! I know Officer Chen!"

Swire's fist did indeed pause for a moment: "Ha, you know Chen?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Ye nodded repeatedly. "I know Officer Chen! We're very close!"

Lin Ye almost forgot that he wasn't without connections within the Lungmen Guard Bureau; Officer Chen was one of them. Officer Chen was from the Guard Bureau, and so was the Superintendent named Swire. They probably knew each other, and likely had a good relationship. See, otherwise why would the other party have stopped attacking as soon as they heard Chen's name?

However, just as he had this thought, Swire's fist suddenly swung down and hit him in the face.

"Idiot." Swire looked at Lin Ye lying on the ground and said disdainfully, "You can come up with such an excuse? How many people in Lungmen don't know that girl? Even criminals know her. It's ridiculous. You say you're very familiar with her. How familiar? Has she ever personally arrested you and put you in jail? And of all people to mention, you have to mention this girl. You're just asking for a beating."

Lin Ye watched as Swire rubbed her wrist as she walked towards him, knowing that this woman still wasn't going to let him go. He said rather impatiently, "I'm not lying to you, Officer Chen and I are friends."

"Oh."

"Really, really." Lin Ye was about to say that he had treated Officer Chen's insomnia and helped her sleep. However, he was still a bit dazed from being beaten by Shi Huaiya, and in his haste, he blurted out, "I slept with Officer Chen!"

Swire stopped immediately, her beautiful face gradually turning to astonishment, but soon that astonishment slowly transformed into cunning.

“Really?” Swire’s ears twitched, and a dangerous smile appeared on her face. “Then I’ll take you to her.”

At that moment, Lin Ye knew he was doomed.

……

One hour later, at the Lungmen Guard Bureau.

Including his past and present lives, this is the first time Lin Ye has been to the police station.

Sitting in his office, handcuffed and writing a self-criticism, Lin Ye listened to Swire's voice echoing through the police station.

"What? This scoundrel really isn't the thief's accomplice? Are you sure that guy wasn't lying?"