On the Ark.

Lin Ye looked around.

This was a triple room, much more spacious than the double room Lin Ye and the others had, and even had a small living room, but no one was there.

However, judging from the unmade beds, the cigarette butts in the ashtray, and the stench of sweat in the room, someone was indeed living here. But the question remains: it's still early in the morning, where did these people go? If, as Skadi said, they really escaped, then how did they know they were coming?

While Lin Ye was pondering, Lappland suddenly turned around and tossed something to Lin Ye: "Look at this."

Lin Ye hurriedly took it, and then realized that what Lappland had given him was a badge that looked very strange.

"What is this?" Lin Ye asked.

Lappland nodded and said, "The Mafia's totem."

"The Mafia?" Lin Ye was very surprised. "How could it be the Mafia? Which Mafia? The Reunion Movement?"

Lin Ye immediately thought of the Reunion Movement. He had no choice; he'd already had several encounters with this organization, each one incredibly dangerous, the kind where a slight misstep could cost him his life. Yet each time, he'd escaped unscathed and dealt a significant blow to the Reunion Movement. For example, that guy named Mephisto was dealt a severe blow by him last time, but Lin Ye was still constantly afraid that guy would return to retaliate.

So now, whenever the Mafia is mentioned, or anyone or any force that wants to harm him, Lin Ye reflexively thinks of Mephisto and the Reunion Movement. Could this room be Mephisto's? That bastard who's been trying to kill him slept right above him last night? Just thinking about it sends chills down his spine. Luckily, he slept with Skadi last night.

“Reunion Movement?” Lappland tilted her head. “What is Reunion Movement… Oh? You mean those people we met when we went to the snow mountain last time? That shouldn’t be them, they’re the totems of the Syracuse Mafia.”

"Syracusa?" Upon hearing that it wasn't the Reunion Movement, Lin Ye breathed a slight sigh of relief, but was still somewhat puzzled. "But why would the people of Syracusa come looking for us? I have no grudge against your Lupo tribe, do I?"

"Who said that?" Lappland bared her teeth at Lin Ye. "I have a grudge against you. You call me 'Silly Wolf' every day, and you want to pretend nothing happened?"

"Ahem, that was just a joke. Seriously though, do you know which mafia group this is?"

Lappland shook her head: "I don't know. There are just too many mafia members in Syracuse. How could I possibly remember them all? Where I'm from, as long as you have one or two people and a knife or two, you can call yourself a mafia member."

Lin Ye was speechless: "Isn't your place a bit too chaotic?"

“That’s just how the people of Syracuse are,” Lappland said matter-of-factly. “But there are only two or three families that are truly respectable, and they’re all mafia families that have been around for hundreds of years. They’re incredibly powerful. But those old guys rarely leave Syracuse. Most of the people who leave Syracuse are people who have lost in the struggle and have no choice but to leave their homes.”

Why does adding the word "ow" make this such a serious topic sound so strange?

However, if most of the Rupo who left Syracuse did so because of their defeat in battle, is the same reason why Lappland did so?

Lin Ye wanted to ask Lappland, but his intuition told him that this question might displease Lappland, so he wisely refrained from asking and instead asked, "So, is this Syracuse mafia that came to cause me trouble the kind of powerful mafia?"

Lappland shook her head: "I have absolutely no recollection of it, so it definitely isn't. A mafia of that level can't do anything."

It sounded rather weak, completely incomparable to the Reunion Movement, so Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good..."

But Lappland wasn't finished: "It's just murder and arson, huh?"

"...What a load of rubbish! What do you mean by 'just murder and arson'?" Lin Ye was speechless. "Isn't that enough?"

Lappland said calmly, "If you really understand Syracuse, you'll realize that this level is nothing."

This left Lin Ye speechless.

Murder and arson are nothing compared to what? What is it then? What was the legendary Syracuse like?

Lin Ye really wanted to know, but he also knew very well that it was better not to know too much about some things, so he wisely refrained from asking.

"The Syracuse Mafia?" Ifrit looked at the medal in Lin Ye's hand and tilted her head. "It seems pretty interesting."

Lin Ye tapped Ifrit's head: "Don't add the word 'Aww' at the end."

"Why?" Ifrit said, quite displeased. "Lappland can join? Why can't I?"

She's stupid, are you stupid too?

Lin Ye really wanted to say that, but for his own safety, he held back.

"Why would they be targeted by the Syracuse Mafia?" Nightingale asked, somewhat puzzled. "Sister Flash once told me that they are a very dangerous group."

“The Syracuses who have been driven out are no longer considered dangerous, but why are they targeting quack doctors? That’s what we should be thinking about,” Lappland said. “Although they are a weak mafia, they are still my people. Once they have a goal, they won’t give up until they achieve it.”

Lin Ye couldn't understand it either. He felt that the only person in the world who had a grudge against him was Mephisto from the Reunion Movement. Could it be that this mafia was hired by Mephisto to cause him trouble?

No, no. Based on Lin Ye's understanding of Mephisto, someone with his personality would definitely take revenge personally if he wanted it, he would never resort to hiring the Mafia. Moreover, according to Lappland's description, these Mafia members expelled from Syracuse should be no match for the Reunion Movement. Therefore, there's even less reason for Mephisto to hire the Mafia to cause him trouble.

So what exactly is going on? Could it be that Mephisto is the one who came here? And is this Mafia badge just a smokescreen he's using to mislead people?

Lin Ye felt he was about to develop "Mephisto phobia." No matter what happened, if it was detrimental to him, he would immediately think of Mephisto. It was probably because the impression Mephisto had left on him was just too deep.

At this moment, Skadi, who hadn't spoken for a long time, walked around the room twice before going to Lin Ye's side.

“I found some things too,” Skadi asked. “Would you like to take a look?”

"Hmm? Okay, what is it?"

Skadi handed Lin Ye an envelope.

"What's this?" Lin Ye took the envelope and asked suspiciously, "Something left behind by the Mafia?"

Skadi nodded.

Lin Ye opened the envelope and took out a photograph.

The girl in the photo is very pretty; her black eyes are like pearls.

"Who is this?"

Lin Ye took out the photo intact and found several words written in oil-based pen at the bottom: "Guigu Xuehui".

Lappland leaned over for a glance and said, "Looks like the Oni race from the East."

"The Oni clan of the Eastern Kingdom?" Lin Ye asked, puzzled. "Why is the photo here?"

“It’s not just photos,” Skadi said. “I’ve met her.”

Lin Ye looked at Skadi in surprise: "You've seen her? Where?"

“Right here in this hotel,” Skadi said softly. “It’s even on the same floor as us.”

Lin Ye was even more surprised.

“One floor is quite something,” Lappland said. “Could this woman also be a member of the Mafia?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Skadi said, turning and leaving. “I remember her room. I’ll go find her now. If she really is a member of the Mafia, that’ll make things easier. Perfect, this guy gave me a really uncomfortable feeling yesterday.”

……

……

Author's note: Seven thousand words today, still seventeen chapters to go.

Chapter 381 We should do it according to the rules of Syracuse (4k)

Twenty minutes later, Lin Ye, along with four girls, stood disheveled in front of the pale-faced hotel owner, surrounded by a group of onlookers.

The hotel owner pointed one finger at Lin Ye's nose and clutched his chest with the other, stammering, "You, you, you..."

Lin Ye looked embarrassed and said in a very apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"You chopped down two of my doors!" the hotel owner roared. "And you still say it wasn't intentional!"

Lin Ye couldn't help but cover his face, thinking that he really didn't mean it, he just hadn't had time to stop the two crazy women beside him. Who knew they would act so quickly? When he returned to the third floor to find that woman, Lin Ye had already consciously grabbed Skadi, trying to open the door gently, but Lappland let out a howl and rushed up, hacking the door to pieces with two slashes.

But there was no one in the room.

This scene was witnessed by the hotel owner who came up to clean.

And then? That's it. They were all standing obediently in front of the counter like schoolchildren who had done something wrong… Well, "obediently" specifically refers to Lin Ye. The others were completely oblivious. If Ifrit and Nightingale were just bystanders and didn't need to feel guilty, Skadi and Lappland, the two culprits, were equally clueless. The fact that they were standing there listening to the shop owner's lecture was already out of respect for Lin Ye. After all, one was a cold-blooded deep-sea hunter, and the other a former mafia member—what more could you ask of them?

Lin Ye was too embarrassed (or dared not) to say anything to them, so he could only continue to apologize to the hotel owner.

Before Lin Ye could finish speaking, Skadi took a step forward, looked down at the innkeeper sitting in the chair, and said bluntly, "Where is that woman? And where did those Lupo people on the fourth floor go?"

The hotel owner was stunned. He hadn't expected Skadi to question him like this after breaking his door. He couldn't help but raise his hand, pointing at Skadi, wanting to say something, but he couldn't get the words out.

Skadi frowned. "Can't you understand me? I'll say it again: the woman on the third floor and the Lupo on the fourth floor, go..."

Fearing that Skadi would anger the hotel owner, Lin Ye immediately pulled her to his side and covered her mouth.

Skadi didn't resist, but glanced at Lin Ye with a slightly puzzled look, clearly not knowing why Lin Ye was stopping her from speaking.

"My goodness," Lin Ye couldn't help but sigh, "Don't you ever consider the context when you say things?"

At this moment, Lin Ye finally understood why Skadi had such a bad reputation on the island. Her unconventional (?) way of doing things, her straightforward nature, especially her nonchalant attitude even when she made mistakes, acting as if nothing had happened, and even going so far as to question others, easily angered or drove those who didn't know her crazy. Lin Ye was no exception. If Skadi weren't so beautiful… no, if he didn't know Skadi well enough to understand that this was just her personality and that she meant no harm, he probably wouldn't have been able to tolerate her awkward character.

"We can ask about that later," Lin Ye said in a low voice. "We're legitimate pharmaceutical company employees, not thugs..."

Skadi frowned slightly: "Is there a difference?"

Lin Ye was momentarily speechless.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems there's no difference.

“Of course there’s a difference,” Lin Ye said. “We need to be mindful of our actions.”

Skadi sighed softly, "You always worry about such meaningless things. Finding that woman and those Lupo are the most important things, aren't they? Can't we put all the other unimportant things aside for now?"

“What you said is true, but you also need to consider other people’s feelings,” Lin Ye said. “When you’re out and about, you can’t just think about yourself; you should also think about others. Selfish people have no friends.”

Lin Ye's mother told him this before he went to university, and he then passed it on to Skadi. It wasn't because he considered Skadi a daughter or anything like that; rather, he believed Skadi needed those words more than he had back then. But to his surprise, Skadi responded casually, "Now I only need to think about you."

Lin Ye's mouth gaped open slightly, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

“Because those people are most likely after you,” Skadi said, “so we have to think of you first.”

...So that's why?

Lin Ye suddenly felt a little disappointed, but he quickly realized that something was wrong.

Wait, why is he disappointed?

"Have you two had enough?!" Seeing Lin Ye ignoring him and whispering with the beautiful woman accompanying him, the innkeeper, unable to contain himself any longer, slammed his hand on the table. "If you don't give me an explanation, I'll..."

Clap!

The hotel owner's words were stopped by an even louder slam on the table. He paused, then subconsciously looked down and found another handprint on his counter.

"Old man, isn't all this nagging annoying?" Lappland slammed her hand on the table, arms crossed, looking very displeased. "We're asking you something, just answer honestly."

The hotel owner was stunned, because Lappland's aura made him feel somewhat afraid, and he couldn't say a word for a moment.

But the next second, Lappland was also grabbed by Lin Ye.

"Please, please stop making things worse!" Lin Ye roughly rubbed Lappland's head. "Where did you come from, some kind of gangster? Oh, you used to be a gangster... but you're not anymore! I'm the one who gave you the psychological assessment! Don't go back to your old ways, ah, don't bite me!"

Lin Ye let out a scream.

Lappland released her grip, saying with obvious displeasure, "You guys are being too slow. If we had this much time to discuss things, the enemy would have already run away. In my opinion, this kind of problem should be solved using our Syracuse method, that's the most efficient way."