On the Ark.

"What does it matter?" Swire shrugged, quite pleased with herself. "I can catch thieves with my own bag, because I never need weapons to catch petty thieves."

The two then argued about the weapons for another half hour, leaving Lin Ye, who was listening nearby, utterly speechless. They were supposed to be there to take statements, but almost an hour had passed since they entered the ward, and they still hadn't started. He felt he was likely going to waste the whole day, so he silently took out his phone and sent a text message to ACE, telling them he'd be back late so they wouldn't worry. After sending the message, the two finally finished arguing… no, they finished arguing about this issue, and both seemed to think they had won.

"Alright, alright." Although she had seen this scene countless times, Hoshiguma still felt quite helpless. Seeing that the two had finally quieted down, she immediately opened her pen and paper. "Then let's begin. Who wants to go first?"

Forty minutes later, Lin Ye and Swire took turns recounting the events of the previous night's attack. Hoshiguma would occasionally ask questions, while Chen listened quietly, his brow furrowed. After Lin Ye and Swire finished, Chen slowly spoke: "Clearly, that organization called Reunion Movement made extensive preparations for this attack."

Swire rolled her eyes: "Isn't that obvious? How could I have gotten hurt without so much preparation?"

Chen glanced at Swire: "When I said 'extensive preparation,' it wasn't directed at you at all. Don't flatter yourself."

"What do you mean?!" Swire got angry again.

"Alright, alright." Hoshiguma had lost count of how many times she had said "alright, alright." She tapped the pages of her notebook lightly with her pen, reminding Chen and Swire to be mindful of their behavior. "We've already gotten to the point, so stop being so temperamental."

“I’m not being temperamental,” Chen said. “The Reunion Movement has invested so much manpower and resources, it’s clear they’re not after Chashao Cat, but Master Walker. As for Chashao Cat, according to you, you originally intended to give both tickets to Dr. Lin and didn’t plan to go yourself, is that right?”

"...You could say that."

Hoshiguma looked at Swire with some surprise and asked, "Why? Isn't Master John Walker your favorite?"

“To be precise, I like his shows, not him as a person,” Swire said softly. “You all probably know that John Walker isn’t from Ursus, right? He just went to Ursus as an adult.”

"So?" Chen asked.

"You all probably know about John Walker's comments about infected people that he made in Ursus six months ago."

"I know, that's why he was targeted by the infected organization."

“Yes, but a long time ago, because I loved John Walker’s plays so much, I used some family connections to look into him,” Swire said. “And then I found out that his parents were both infected.”

Everyone present looked surprised.

"Really?" Hoshiguma exclaimed in disbelief.

“It’s true, but he’s kept this information very well hidden. He fled with his parents during a famine in his early years, all the way to the border of Ursus, where they died from their illnesses. Before they died, they gave him all their food and money, which allowed him to settle in Ursus,” Swire said. “I know how much Ursus hates the Infected and how hostile their attitude is. John Walker’s words don’t really matter in Ursus; in fact, they’ll garner him support from the Ursus royal family and the people. Many prominent figures in Ursus have made similar statements. But I believe only John Walker has no right to say such things, because without his Infected parents, he wouldn’t be alive today.”

Swire's words silenced everyone.

After a long silence, Chen slowly spoke: "Is this the reason you weren't planning to watch his show?"

"Yes, this is indeed quite hard to accept."

"So you still want to buy his ticket?"

"Who bought it? Someone gave it to me, okay?" Swire said irritably, then froze.

Chen turned to look at Hoshiguma: "Looks like we've found a clue."

Hoshiguma nodded seriously: "I understand."

Swire gritted her teeth: "That guy, he wants to get me?!"

“We can’t be certain until we find out,” Chen said. “The Reunion Movement has planted many seeds in Lungmen. They were able to silently poison the theater security personnel and Master John Walker’s bodyguards, rendering them incapable of fighting. They were also able to seal off the entire theater in the shortest amount of time to prevent any disturbances from spreading. They even planted explosives in the center of the theater. This is definitely not a simple terrorist organization. Combined with the attack two months ago, we have reason to consider this organization as Lungmen’s number one enemy.”

Hoshiguma looked at Chen: "We need to talk to Mr. Wei."

“Of course we should talk about it, but not now,” Chen said. “We need to find out the truth about this matter first. Mr. Wei is extremely busy right now.”

"...Any news from Ursus?"

“Otherwise what? They’re always so aggressive.” Chen’s face was somewhat gloomy. “They’re the ones who caused this mess. If the Guard Bureau had taken over Master Walker’s security earlier, none of this would have happened. They only ever trust their own people.”

Lin Ye, who had been listening the whole time, thought about what ACE and Himer had told him the night before. He really wanted to ask Chen if this incident would cause Lungmen to reject all infected people, and then affect Rhodes Island. But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he shouldn't be the one to ask this question. Himer had also said that Kal'tsit would personally return to Lungmen to discuss with Mr. Wei Yanwu, so he decided not to say anything more and continued to listen.

But he didn't expect that the topic would soon turn to him.

"Dr. Lin Ye." Hoshiguma turned to look at Lin Ye and asked with some surprise, "According to Swire, at the last moment, did you take care of two thugs and control the key figure, Watson, thus buying time?"

“Hmm.” Lin Ye nodded. “But it didn’t last long. Those thugs obviously didn’t take that rich kid named Watson seriously.”

“With Watson’s muddle-headed brain, he definitely couldn’t have planned such an operation.” Chen’s tone was full of disdain. “He was probably just being used as a pawn.”

“Furthermore, Watson seems to have no reason to murder Master Walker, only a reason to attack Swire,” Hoshiguma said. “But what surprises me is, Dr. Lin, you are clearly a doctor, yet you possess such superb swordsmanship, and even… dual-wielding? Are all the doctors on Rhodes Island as skilled as you?”

Lin Ye had lost count of how many times he had explained this issue since arriving in Longmen, but before he could speak this time, Swire spoke first.

“Some people may seem ordinary, but they can unleash tremendous power and skill when it matters,” Swire said. “Conversely, some people may carry two knives on their backs, but can only use lipstick to catch thieves.”

Lin Ye clearly saw that the moment Shi Huaiya finished speaking, Chen's eyes gradually became dangerous.

"Char Siu Cat, haven't you had enough of arguing yet?"

“Damn it, I’m probably going to argue with you for the rest of my life,” Swire said coldly. “And am I wrong? Aren’t those two swords behind you just decorations? Okay, maybe one of them isn’t, but I haven’t seen you draw the other one yet.”

Whether I draw my sword or not is none of your business.

"What I put in my bag is none of your business."

Chen took a deep breath and said, "Stop arguing, I don't have time for you."

"Ha, you..."

"And don't think I don't know," Chen glanced at Swire, "you tried to pull out my sword while I was taking a nap, but you couldn't, right?"

Swire's face immediately turned red: "You weren't asleep!?"

Chen sneered.

"It was an accident last time, but you dare let me try again!"

"Heh, I'll give you ten thousand more tries, and you still won't be able to pull it out," Chen said. "No one but me can..."

Clang.

A clear, resonant sound of a sword being drawn came from behind Chen.

Swire and Hoshiguma were both stunned, staring intently at what was behind Chen. Chen also noticed something and quickly turned around.

Seeing Lin Ye's embarrassed face, he was holding the Crimson Sky Sword, which he had already drawn halfway.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Lin Ye scratched his head and stammered, "I just couldn't resist... I wanted to try. I'm sorry, I didn't expect... it to be so easy to pull out."

Chapter 178 Crimson Sky

Lin Ye swore that he really just acted on impulse.

Watching Chen and Swire argue was incredibly boring, especially after they shifted the topic to the Crimson Sky Sword, which Lin Ye had found very interesting last time. After all, few people from China wouldn't be interested in the Crimson Sky Sword. In Lin Ye's original world, the ancient sword bearing the name Crimson Sky was used by the Gaozu Emperor to slay the white serpent, thus beginning his imperial life; it was also known as the Sword of the Emperor's Path. That such a sword was in the possession of a policewoman in the Terra world made Lin Ye very curious, especially since the Crimson Sky Sword was less than a meter away from him during their argument—he could easily touch the hilt with a simple outstretched hand.

Thus, the voices of emotion and reason swirled in his mind.

Emotionally, she thought, "Let's touch it and see. It's just touching it. If we're careful, Chen won't notice."

Reason tells us: "No, this won't do. We can't just touch other people's things."

He retorted emotionally, "This is different! How can this belong to someone else? Think about it! If this really is the Crimson Sky Sword, then its relationship with me is definitely closer than its relationship with Chen. What does a little dragon man know about the Crimson Sky Sword? I am the descendant of the Emperor Gaozu!"

Rationality was furious: "You're full of... correct reasoning, so what are you hesitating for? Hurry up and touch it! Didn't Chen say that no one but her can draw this sword? So what are you worried about? Since you can't draw it anyway, isn't it great to touch it?"

Reason and emotion merged so easily. As if possessed, Lin Ye reached out and grabbed the hilt of Chi Xiao's sword. As if possessed, he wanted to test whether the sword was really impossible to draw, so he applied a little force.

Then came the clear, resounding sound of a sword being drawn, and the shocked gazes of everyone. Lin Ye knew then that things were in serious trouble.

Hoshiguma was the first to react, immediately standing up from her chair. She accidentally dropped the paper and pen she was using to take notes on the floor. Clearly, she knew some of the inside story of the Crimson Sword. She stared intently at the Crimson Sword, which was already half-pulled out, her words filled with disbelief: "How is this possible... How did you do that?"

Swire was also quite surprised. Although she didn't know much about the Crimson Sky Sword, she had tried to draw it herself and indeed couldn't. So when she saw Lin Ye draw the sword so easily, she immediately realized something. She turned her head, stared straight at Chen, and said in a provocative tone, "Um, Chen? What did you just say? Can you show me again? You mean... the one where no one but you can do anything about it? Can you show me again?"

Chen didn't speak, he just looked at the Crimson Sky Sword.

Hoshiguma coughed twice, reminding Swire, who was gloating, "Swire, that's enough."

Swire was initially reluctant to let go of this great opportunity to mock Chen, but she also noticed that Chen's emotions were not quite right and were fluctuating wildly, so she shrugged and chose not to provoke Chen any further.

Now, the only one feeling awkward was Lin Ye. Chen kept staring at his hand without saying a word, leaving Lin Ye unsure of how to respond. Moreover, the fact that he was only halfway through drawing the sword was also causing him a headache. Should he completely pull the Crimson Sky sword from its sheath, or should he push it back into it? It was a real dilemma.

As he struggled with his decision, he focused all his energy on devising a solution. His grip on the Crimson Cloud Sword loosened unconsciously, partly due to the exhaustion from the previous night, from which he hadn't fully recovered. So the Crimson Cloud Sword suddenly slipped from his hand, returning to its sheath with a clear, resonant clang. This sound snapped Chen Cong out of her reverie. She looked up at Lin Ye with a complex expression: "How did you do that?"

"You're asking how I did it?" Lin Ye scratched his head. "I didn't do much. It was like pulling out my own sword. I just used a little force... actually, not much force at all, and it came out by itself. You were probably just joking when you said before that no one but you could pull out the Crimson Sky Sword, right?"

As soon as he said this, Lin Ye regretted it. Wasn't this just rubbing salt into Chen's wound?

Sure enough, after hearing Lin Ye's words, Swire's smile became even brighter.

Chen, the person involved, didn't react much, which relieved Lin Ye slightly. He wasn't trying to mock Chen; he was genuinely asking a question because he didn't believe he had any special ability to pull out a sword that others couldn't. Although he had an inexplicable affinity for pets, the Crimson Sky Sword wasn't a pet, not even a living being—what kind of affinity could it have? Therefore, he suspected that Chen had fabricated a lie to make the sword more "legendary." Although Chen's personality didn't seem like it, Lin Ye couldn't think of any other possibilities for the moment.

“Old Chen…” Hoshiguma looked at Chen.

Chen raised his hand, shook his head, and indicated that Hoshiguma didn't need to say anything.

“There is one thing I did lie about,” Chen said slowly. “I am definitely not the only one in this world who can draw the Crimson Sky Sword, but I have never seen anyone do it as easily as you.”

"Relaxed?" Lin Ye asked, somewhat puzzled. "What do you mean by 'relaxed'?"

“The literal meaning.” Chen Jianlin didn’t understand what she meant. She wanted to explain, but felt that words were too weak to explain. So she took two steps back and pressed down on the Crimson Sky Sword. “Since that’s the case, then I’ll let you see it. When you see me draw my sword, you’ll understand what I mean.”

Seeing Chen's increasingly serious expression, Lin Ye's heart tightened. He wondered if Chen Sir was getting angry and planning to chop him up under the pretext of drawing his sword to show off.

Just as he was about to say something, he saw Chen grip the hilt of his sword and whisper, "Here it comes."

Chen has made his move.

Lin Ye had assumed that Chen would draw the Crimson Sky Sword instantly. For safety's sake, he even took two steps back, but he soon discovered that Chen did not draw the Crimson Sky Sword, but merely maintained the posture of drawing the sword.

“Hey, you idiot dragon.” Swire tilted her head. “Are you pretending…”

Before she could finish speaking, a soft "snap" sounded beside Swire's ear. Swire turned her head in confusion and saw that the power cord of the ECG monitor had been cut by something. The plug was still in the socket, but the power cord was dangling and swaying precariously.

"Old Chen!" Hoshiguma also sensed something was wrong. "What are you doing?"

"Don't come any closer!" Chen whispered. "I can't fully control it yet. You'll get hurt if you get too close."

As soon as Chen finished speaking, everyone felt a frenzied and violent aura wash over them like a tidal wave, instantly filling the entire room. Only then did Lin Ye notice that Chi Xiao was indeed unsheathed, although it was only less than two inches from the edge.

But the whole room started to "collapse".

One cut after another suddenly appeared in various places in the room, first on the power cord of the ECG monitor, and then on the ECG monitor itself.

Water bottles, water glasses, fruit in the fruit basket, curtains. It was as if an unseen swordsman was wielding a sword and slashing everywhere. Everyone except Chen turned pale, fearing that the next blow would strike their heads.

"Old Chen!" Hoshiguma grabbed his shield and shouted to Chen, "Sheathe your sword!"

Clang!

Chixiao returned to its sheath intact.

Chen was breathing heavily, as if she had just survived a life-or-death battle.