On the Ark.

“That’s what I wanted too,” Swire said softly. “I’m sorry.”

"Hmm?" Lin Ye looked at Swire with some confusion. "Why did you say sorry?"

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have encountered this situation. I insisted on inviting you here,” Swire said softly. “I can also tell that you don’t like stage plays anymore, but…”

"Don't say things like that at a time like this, it's pointless," Lin Ye said. "I'm still very grateful to you for bringing me to see the show. After all, the tickets here aren't cheap, and it's also my fault. I should have just brought both of your tickets."

"Huh? Why?"

Lin Ye sighed: "That way I can sell the tickets to scalpers, make some money, and avoid today's disaster."

Swire stared blankly at Lin Ye: "Sell the tickets I gave you to scalpers? You actually had such a thought... This, this."

She didn't know what to say; she felt that Lin Ye was simply too incomprehensible.

After a moment, she chuckled softly: "You're quite interesting. Even at this point, I still can't sense any fear from you."

"well enough."

“You’re selling the tickets I gave you to scalpers, are you short of money?” Swire asked.

"well enough."

Swire looked at Lin Ye: "Is that the only word you can say? Okay, if we can get out tonight..."

"You're just going to give me some money?" Lin Ye shrugged. "Forget it, it feels weird. I'm not some kept man."

“I don’t need money. After all, money isn’t something I can use to express feelings.” Swire turned her head and looked at the thugs who had suddenly appeared in the passageway. She said softly, “If you can get out, you can have whatever you want.”

Chapter 166 You Might Die If I Use a Fire Extinguisher (3K) (Twenty-Nine Chapters Owed)

Swire was right; they were indeed being watched backstage. Two thugs wielding long knives stood in the middle of the backstage corridor, with the bodies of two security personnel at their feet. As Lin Ye and Swire saw them, the thugs also noticed them, turning around. Their black masks looked chilling and terrifying in the dimly lit corridor.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, put Shi Huaiya down, and then took a step forward.

"What do you want to do?" Swire looked at him in surprise.

"What do you say?"

“You don’t want to fight them, do you? Please, you’re a medical professional, don’t be a hero,” Swire said. “Let me handle this.”

Lin Ye glanced back at Swire. Swire was barely able to stand, her face deathly pale from blood loss. So even if she possessed real strength, it would be difficult for her to utilize it now. Lin Ye, however, was different. Although he was unarmed, he wasn't without an opportunity. He had never tried using the Leaping Wave Strike bare-handed, so he decided to give it a try.

"Don't worry, even though I'm just a doctor, I'm pretty good at fighting." Lin Ye turned back to look at the two thugs. "I should say that all doctors on Rhodes Island can fight, although I'm the weakest one. But if it's just two of them..."

Lin Ye wasn't lacking in combat experience. He had been trained by Yato for nearly two months, and had also fought the Sarkaz demons for over a month in Nightingale's dream. However, reality and dreams are different; when a dream ends, it's simply waking up, but when reality ends, it's truly over. Therefore, Lin Ye was still somewhat nervous, but he kept telling himself to stay calm. His opponents were just two thugs, far weaker than Sarkaz warriors. He should be able to defeat them easily if he used his Leaping Wave Strike.

As he was thinking this, the two thugs moved. They glanced at each other and then charged at Lin Ye at the same time.

come on!

Lin Ye clenched his fist.

Please, Surfing Wave... no, Skadi, help me!

He screamed inwardly, trying to feel that familiar dampness. But he didn't feel it. Just as the two thugs were about to rush at him, a hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back sharply.

What's going on?!

Lin Ye knew it was Swire. He turned around and saw Swire rush past him. He was about to say something when he suddenly noticed that Swire had a large red "can" in her hand.

"Fuck your mother! Eat shit!"

Swire shouted and picked up the red can of fire extinguisher with one hand, smashing it down on the head of one of the thugs.

The thug's original target was Lin Ye. He never expected that the injured Swire would fight in Lin Ye's place, and in such a violent way at that. He instinctively tried to raise his knife to block, but Swire's movements were too fast. With a muffled thud, the fire extinguisher smashed solidly into the center of the thug's forehead. The thug didn't even have a chance to speak before collapsing to the ground, twitching twice, and then becoming still.

Lin Ye was almost dumbfounded.

However, Swire's actions didn't stop, because there was still one thug. So, with one hand clutching her abdomen and the other gripping the fire extinguisher, heaven knows how she skillfully operated such a specialized weapon with one hand. Anyway, she used it, unexpectedly taking down one of them, and immediately attacked the other. The other thug clearly hadn't expected Swire to be able to do this, but he was well-trained after all. After his companion fell, he immediately attacked Swire, slashing with his long knife.

The long sword, cleaving downwards, collided with the fire extinguisher, which was being swung upwards. As a result, the sword was knocked out of the attacker's hand, and the thug took two steps back. But Swire didn't let him go; he grabbed the fire extinguisher and stabbed it into the attacker's face.

Like the ringing of a temple bell, the bottom of the fire extinguisher slammed into the thug's mask. The mask shattered with a sharp crack, and the thug groaned as he fell backward, his face a bloody mess as he hit the ground. But Swire didn't let him go. After uttering a curse unique to Lungmen, she raised the fire extinguisher and struck the thug's head several more times until she was certain he was dead beyond any doubt. Only then did she drop the fire extinguisher, lean against the wall, and gasp for breath.

During this time, Lin Ye just stood there watching blankly. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about helping, but just as he had that thought, the two thugs were already dead.

"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" Swire noticed Lin Ye's gaze.

"No... I just wanted to say, you're being a bit too aggressive." Lin Ye couldn't help but speak the truth.

"Is that what you call fierce? Are you stupid?" Swire said irritably. "No, you really are stupid. What's the point of a doctor showing off like this? Are you willing to risk your life here?"

"I see you're injured. And where did you get this fire extinguisher?"

"There's a fire hydrant right behind you, didn't you see it? You're still thinking about fighting someone with your bare hands."

Lin Ye turned around and, sure enough, found an open fire hydrant on the wall behind him, with a fire extinguisher inside. He immediately stepped back and took the remaining fire extinguisher out of the hydrant.

"You rascal." Watching Lin Ye's actions, Swire said between breaths, "When you encounter enemies again later, just focus on protecting yourself. Don't be reckless. Fighting is my job, and even if I'm injured, it's still my job."

"I can help."

“I appreciate your kindness, but I’ve also witnessed your strength,” Swire said slowly. “This is Lungmen, and I am Swire, a senior superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Bureau. All you need to do is hide behind me.”

Swire's words left Lin Ye speechless. He felt that the Swire now was a completely different person from the one a few minutes ago. Perhaps the battle had ignited her fighting spirit; now, her eyes were much colder. Before, Lin Ye had thought of Swire as a noble Persian cat, but now she gave him the feeling of a tigress.

Wait... is "tigress" a compliment?

Lin Ye wasn't quite sure either. After resting for a while, Swire straightened up again and picked up the fire extinguisher she had just used.

Swire's ears twitched, and then she said, "There's no more noise outside."

"No more movement?"

“Hmm, not a sound at all.” Swire said softly, her expression somewhat forlorn. “It’s probably already… tsk.”

She shook her head, concealing her dejected expression, and quickly regained her resolve.

“They will pay the price.” Swire, holding a fire extinguisher, continued walking backstage.

Lin Ye followed, carrying a fire extinguisher. He felt like he and Swire were practically part of a fire brigade. He then tried wielding the fire extinguisher with one hand and, strangely enough, it felt quite natural.

The two walked to the door of the backstage room. The door was ajar, and there was no sound from inside.

Neither Lin Ye nor Swire knew if anyone was inside. If they were, had anyone inside heard their fight in the passageway?

Swire tried to walk forward, but Lin Ye pressed down on her shoulder and shook his head. Then he walked along the wall to the door, and at that moment, he smelled a strong stench of blood.

He frowned, then turned his head to observe the backstage waiting room through the crack in the door. He saw one body after another piled up, some belonging to security personnel, others to actors, but no rioters. He pushed the door open slightly, waited a moment, and when there was still no response, he pushed the door open completely.

There are no living people inside.

Lin Ye and Swire walked into the room together. Swire's face grew increasingly gloomy. She bent down, examined the blood on the corpse, and said, "He's only been dead for less than half an hour."

"Was it those two who did it?" Lin Ye asked.

Swire shook her head: "That doesn't make sense. Those two were only slightly stronger than some street thugs. They couldn't possibly beat Master Walker's bodyguards in a one-on-one fight... Wait, where is Master Walker?"

She immediately got up and searched for Walker's body in the waiting room. She soon found him lying in a corner, murdered by the stage master, with a knife stuck in his chest and a piece of paper on the knife.

Lin Ye was standing behind Swire and naturally saw the paper. It read, "Ursus will pay the price for their actions." He immediately realized, "Infected?"

“It should be.” Swire slowly stood up. “I heard that Master Walker rehearsed a rather controversial stage play in Ursus, about the Infected. The gist of it is that the Infected are sinners punished by the gods and deserve to die.”

"...It seems we've found the reason."

Swire nodded: "Yes."

Lin Ye had initially felt some sympathy for the stage master named Walker, who had been killed for no reason. However, after hearing Swire's explanation and thinking about the two unfortunate children he was looking after, his sympathy waned. Of course, this didn't mean Lin Ye understood the actions of the infected thugs.

“It seems that not all of these people were killed,” Lin Ye said. “Several of them did not have any wounds on their bodies.”

"Then what do you mean?"

"Poisoning them is probably the most likely explanation."

Before Swire could speak, applause erupted from the doorway.

"As expected of Superintendent Swire, I knew you wouldn't just run away like that."

The two turned around and saw that the man in the suit named Watson had appeared by the door again, accompanied by the same two musketeers.

……

……

Author's note: Twenty-nine chapters still owed. Also, I'd like to ask for a few friends who can provide me with clues. Please add me if you're active; I'll add you as many as I can!

Official server ID: Linling4420

Chapter 167 Let's Die Here Together with Your Little Man

Lin Ye hadn't expected this guy to find him so quickly. Could it be that all the audience members outside had perished? Also, how many thugs were involved in this attack on the theater? He quickly pondered these questions in his mind.

Swire stared at Watson, her eyes filled with anger: "Walson, you've really gone mad."

Wolsen's eyes gradually turned cold: "Yes, I've been insane for a long time. Are you only just realizing that now? I was already insane when you kicked me out of Lungmen."

"Heh, when you were kicked out of Dragon Gate, you were like a dog," Swire said with a sneer. "After all these years, you haven't improved at all. You target innocent people, you don't dare to cause trouble for us, and you can't even find the right person to take revenge on. You're not even fit to be a dog, just a mad dog."

"Shut up, Swire." Wollson was clearly not very shrewd; Swire had easily provoked his anger with just a few words. "You filthy bitch, you got into the Guard through connections, what right do you have to talk to me like that?"

"You bitch? You bastard, you really dare to say that." Swire smirked and then blurted out in Longmen dialect, "XXXX (civilized harmony), you think I don't know? Back then, you were chasing after that gossip Chen..."

"Shut up!" Wolson roared. "You bitch, you're going to die tonight!"

"Tsk, you're already angry?" Swire couldn't help but shake her head. "You're so far inferior to your father. At least your father was a powerful and ruthless man. Do you even know that you're just a coward?"

Swire's words calmed Watson down a bit. He was probably well aware of how skilled Swire was at retorting, so in order to outwit her, he turned his attention to Lin Ye.

"You bitch, everyone in Lungmen thought you didn't care about anything except your job with the Guard Bureau. Now it seems that's not the case. This is the gigolo you're keeping? His standards are really too low."

Lin Ye, who was listening from the side, was immediately dumbfounded.

Why did you two old enemies have to drag him into your argument? And even if you did, why call him a gigolo, and a low-class one at that?! Damn it, this is absolutely intolerable! In his past life, he was incredibly popular with women; the neighborhood aunties and grandmas all adored him, and his classmates affectionately called him the friend of middle-aged and elderly women. Why is he being called a low-class gigolo by this guy?!

Lin Ye was furious and cursed at Walson, "You damned eunuch."

Neither Watson nor Swire understood.

"What does 'eunuch' mean?" Shi Huaiya asked Lin Ye.