I'm living off a woman in Arknights.

As expected of a rare find from another world, its deliciousness ranks among the top of all the fruits she has ever tasted.

Moreover, after eating, her spirits, which had been somewhat low due to yesterday's ordeal, recovered considerably.

Overall, the tasting experience was wonderful.

Shi Huaiya couldn't help but think to herself, 'I'll ask Yunyi when I get back if he can give me another one.'

She remembered that Yunyi had tens of thousands of them.

“Spirit… Miss Swire, your wine.” Texas placed the icy old glass in front of Swire, who was lost in thought.

"Thank you." Swire snapped out of her reverie, thanked him, and picked up the wine glass to smell it. The aroma of the wine was a blend of fruity, sweet, and herbal notes, subtly present at the rim of the glass, just like the wine itself, with distinct layers and a rich content.

She took a few sips, sighed, and said, "Ha—it really feels different to drink alone sometimes."

In the past, Swire would only take a few symbolic sips at social occasions, and he rarely drank alone like this.

Not exactly drinking alone, Swire turned her head to look at the Emperor, who was also drinking, "Your Majesty, you..."

The emperor's belly was round and his penguin claws were twitching.

Its seemingly relentless drinking, which appeared to be about to kill it, caused Swire's expression to change drastically, and her voice instantly rose, "Mr. Emperor?!"

The emperor ignored him, unable to extricate himself from the game of getting himself drunk (or dead).

"Ahem, Miss Swire, please rest assured, the boss is just indulging in his hobbies in a perfectly normal way." Texas replied, indicating that it was just basic stuff and that he should just sit down and watch.

“Hobbies…” Swire’s expression was complicated. Was it a love of alcohol or a love of death?

Your boss is about to have a seizure!

Then the emperor actually twitched in front of Swire, his beak tilted to one side, and he fell silent.

Swire's first instinct was to save the penguin, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed Texas still leisurely munching on a cookie, and she immediately stopped in her tracks, "This... is normal?"

Texas didn't say anything, just nodded silently, then placed a plate of fruit on the bar and pushed it forward, indicating that Swire could take it himself.

There's really no rush.

Swire glanced down at the sliced ​​pineapple and the blueberries glistening with water droplets on the plate, then at the Emperor, whose breathing was barely perceptible, and finally cast an admiring look at the composed Texas—such composure.

Since the family members (?) of the person involved were not in a hurry, Swire chose to trust the judgment of a reliable acquaintance and instead inquired about the Emperor, "Does Mr. Emperor often do this... once in a while?"

Texas glanced sharply at Swire, who had her eyes downcast, and said, "****."

It seems he really does die every time, how amazing—but Yun Yi is even more amazing.

“Miss Texas really loves to say that.” Swire smiled knowingly. “Of course, Mr. Emperor wouldn’t have his employees help him cover things up, would he?”

According to her intelligence, the Emperor was quite dashing, and he never deliberately concealed his every move.

****? Is it that Texas itself thinks it can't be said, and is too lazy to explain?

Volume 2: Fireworks at Lungmen: Chapter 98 Swire: Mr. Emperor and Miss Texas... Hmm, they're really nice people.

Swire rested her elbow on the bar and her hand on her chin, using the fork provided by the other person to pick up a blueberry and take a bite. "This sense of responsibility to protect the boss is really commendable."

Texas silently chewed on the last piece of biscuit, while the Emperor, who had been motionless, suddenly sat up straight, raised his wings, and muttered between hiccups, "That's right, right, right! Texas is really good~ hiccup! I'm dizzy..."

"You are awake."

Swire gently tucked his slightly fluffy tail to one side, covering it with his thigh, while maintaining a polite smile and suppressing the urge to shake his leg.

He's awake? No, this is definitely a case of death and resurrection—just now, the Emperor stopped breathing, his heart stopped, and his body stiffened!

Yunyi died in a coma, could it be the same?

The thought that Yun Yi might be lying silently in her arms filled Swire with an inexplicable anxiety.

No matter how hard she tried to control herself, she couldn't suppress the urge to shake her leg.

Swire restrained himself, but it still felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat. What he originally wanted to say turned into a dry "Have some water to ease it up."

"Oh? You know a lot!" The Emperor nodded and took the water glass that Texas handed him at the right time.

A straw was inserted into the glass, with a few lemon slices floating on it; the water was a light yellow and refreshing color.

It took a big, exaggerated sip from the straw, as if its whole body was straining, then put down the cup and lazily slid down the chair to the floor. "Ah~ That feels good!"

It looks really cool.

Swire picked up her glass and took a sip. The smooth wine and the Emperor's quirky antics acted like a brush, easily washing away her anxiety and clearing her mind.

When dealing with Penguin Logistics, it's definitely best to be direct, frank, and friendly. Indirect approaches and excessive formalities will only weaken the possibility of cooperation.

Having realized this, Swire put down her wine glass, turned to face the emperor who was slumped over, and said directly, "Your Majesty, let's discuss another commission."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Upon hearing this, the Emperor raised his head, his eyes behind his sunglasses turning towards Swire, gleaming with a faint light, as if he were very interested in what Swire had to say.

“I have a group of people here who were just rescued from the lower city.” Swire then briefly explained where they were rescued from and their general situation at the time—since Wei Yanwu’s matter had already been explained, there was no need to hide anything.

The Emperor shook his head, offering no comment on the persistent gray and black market industries, but his gaze toward Swire became noticeably more focused.

“Yunyi has arranged their accommodations, and we have enough food, drink, clothes, blankets, and the like—” Swire held up five fingers, “to maintain their peace and tranquility for five days.”

Then, she changed the subject and talked about her and Yun Yi's arrangements for this group of people, emphasizing that they originally planned to send some of them home and arrange jobs, but Wei Yanwu was unable to do so within five days.

It is important to know that the probability of natural disasters and man-made calamities occurring on this land is extremely high, almost demonically so. People are born, grow old, get sick, and die very quickly, and the related handling processes are equally rapid.

If they wait five days, even if they send him home, that home will probably no longer belong to him.

The Emperor listened silently, his dark eyes reflecting the warm light of the hall. The light shifted and then turned into a silent sigh—perhaps this was just an illusion created by Swire in that atmosphere.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Emperor adjusted his slipped sunglasses to cover his eyes, flapped his wings, nimbly jumped up onto a chair, and then, with the chair in tow, leaped onto the bar.

He placed a chair on the bar, sat down, and took the cigar that Texas had just handed him, the cap of which had been trimmed. Looking down at Swire, he asked, "Girl, you know Old Lin, right?"

Swire nodded and then shook his head. "The Rat King... I know about it."

To say she knew him was an understatement; she knew the Rat King's daughter.

“Shi Huaiya, no, the Guard Bureau people have been interfering in the affairs of the lower city without authorization… This is putting me in a difficult position. Old Lin and I are brothers who have been through thick and thin together—”

The Emperor, drawing out his words, took the retro square lighter, flicked it left and right, and lit his cigar with a cool gesture.

Just then, the warm light in the lobby faded away, and a stage light came on, enveloping the Emperor.

The eggplant base flickered with tiny sparks, and the emperor's expression behind it was hidden in the shadows, vague and mysterious.

As the wind blew, its hip-hop style casual clothes fluttered wildly, and its large gold chain swung behind it, swaying with the wind. The chain gently tightened around its neck as it moved... All of this looked incredibly textured under the bright light, and at first glance, it was quite imposing.

—If it weren't for Texas, expressionless, adjusting the blower behind it.

Swire pressed her knuckles to her lips, desperately suppressing the wildly upturned corners of her mouth, and said in a serious tone, "Easy, I'll add more money!"

The emperor's lips twitched. "Damn it! How could they steal someone else's lines!"

"Boss, you could use a line that won't get stolen," Texas suggested casually, then turned off the blower and easily lifted the large machine away.

"Forget it, it seems I'm better suited to be a singer." The Emperor spun the gold chain back to its original place, jumped off the chair, put his hands on his hips, and resumed his serious demeanor. "A huge problem involving hundreds of people, are you planning to dump it all on Penguin Logistics?"

"Where are the Adams?"

“Grandfather is grandfather.” Swire quickly changed the subject, her expression sincere. “If I hand it over to someone else, there will be many steps such as follow-up and inspection. As you know, I don’t have that kind of free time now. But you are someone I can trust—your Penguin Logistics can still deliver every victim to the right place even without supervision.”

"Among this vast Dragon Gate, isn't it only you who can accomplish this?"

Who could be more trustworthy than an emotionally stable, empathetic, and capable "beast master"?

At least Longmen is gone.

The Emperor lowered his sunglasses, glanced at Swire who was staring directly at him, and after a moment pushed her away. He confidently took two puffs of his cigar, his beak curling upwards wildly. "Hahaha, what can I do? I'm just that outstanding—giving it away is a piece of cake!"

"By the way, how can five days' worth of supplies be enough?" The Emperor waved his wings, and Texas, who had returned unnoticed, handed him an apple.

The Emperor held up the apple with his wings twirling around it, displaying his unrestrained and bold nature. "Consider this my way of clearing out my inventory. Ten days' worth of rations for a mere few hundred people! Texas, go and take stock."

Texas nodded. Silin Qier 2 was gone, leaving again decisively.

Swire watched her leave, then quickly turned his attention back to the Emperor, suppressing the urge to pay more for the rations, and simply expressed his sincere gratitude and praise.

The Emperor was indeed very satisfied. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, laughing so hard his tongue lolled out. "Hahaha—that's right, I'm just that amazing!"

The rest of the time was spent discussing the complicated details of the commission, until Yunyi pulled him into the driving space.

PS:

The platform's comments section is still not fixed ⊙﹏⊙

It feels so strange, like playing a single-player game, like being a ghost.

Fortunately, the books that have been listed can be viewed directly by showing subscriptions—someone is reading them!

Thank you for your support, readers!

Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate: Chapter 99 Yun Yi/Schwaiya: What? 24 contractors?!

Back to the present, in the driving space.

After listening to Shi Huaiya's description of the Emperor's reaction, Yun Yi looked relieved, as if he had found the answer. "I see. Then I have no problem."

"Next is distributing paper and pens to collect information, right?" Yun Yi rubbed his lips. "Hmm... I wonder how those three temporary workers are doing. Oh, and those two useless people too!"

“Don’t worry about them. When they encounter the mastermind or related parties, just send them out as bait.” Swire skipped over the less important part. “The rest of the day—”

Before Shi Huaiya could finish speaking, a notification sound suddenly rang out, which both of them heard clearly.

[Ding! System upgrade complete]

[I, Hu Hansan, am back!] The system muttered to itself in an increasingly natural tone, oblivious to everyone else. [Let me see what the update is like—wait, what?! How could this be!]

The system let out a thunderous shout of "Hey!"

Swire's tiger ears snapped back against his scalp, strands of hair falling down to cover the trembling tips of his ears. "Hiss..."

Yun Yi hurriedly raised his hand to cover his ears, his brows furrowed: "System, keep your voice down!"

[Oh...] The system lowered its voice listlessly.

"...Is this the system you were talking about?" Swire was speechless.

Her ears had been trying very hard to block out the sound, but the system's shrill shouts couldn't be blocked out no matter what she tried.

The content of the shout, well… Swire’s initial impression was completely contrary to her original imagination—it sounded so unreliable.

She had heard Yun Yi complain before, and she always thought that Yun Yi had embellished the story to some extent. But it turns out that the system itself is really that unreliable?

[I can hear you, Contractor Swire, don't try to make fun of me with the main body!] The system replied angrily. Swire shrugged and calmly retorted, "Make fun of me? Where?"

"It's perfectly normal for Yunyi and me to confirm your identity when we first hear your voice."

[Damn it, do you think I'm an idiot?! The tone of your voice didn't sound like a simple confirmation at all!] The system got even angrier, and its volume involuntarily rose again.

The system didn't read her mind; it only judged based on her tone of voice?

Swire rested his chin on his hand, somewhat surprised by the result of his probing, and did not reply.

"Alright, alright, since you don't want to be framed, then prove yourself, system." Yun Yi tapped the system panel. "First, tell me what update shocked you so much."

eccentric!

The system muttered to itself, but obediently explained, "[Main character, you'll be shocked by this update; it actually removed the emotion restrictions!]"

"...Huh?" Yun Yi was stunned for a moment before he realized he hadn't misheard. "Didn't you say this thing belongs to the system's low-level code and can't be modified?"

Even if the system didn't say it couldn't do it beforehand, common sense dictates that the underlying code is something the program itself cannot modify... Could the system upgrade have been done by a third party?

[It's true that I can't modify it, but the system upgrade is based on your needs, and your needs supersede all existing rules.]

The system, unaware of Yun Yi's absurd guess, earnestly explained, "[It seems you crave emotional freedom too much, granting the upgrade program the authority to override the rule that 'the underlying code cannot be modified,' allowing it to optimize emotional restrictions according to your wishes.]"

As soon as the system finished speaking, Swire asked, "What's the price?"

"Another price to pay!?" Yun Yi's eyes widened, and he straightened up, about to stand up. "I don't have any points right now. Hmm, how about we hug?"

"Don't worry, the price shouldn't be points." Swire patted Yunyi's head to comfort her and let her sit down. "Remember? Your emotions are blocked by a membrane. That membrane is a protective membrane for the system. If you want to open up your emotions, you have to open the membrane first—this will definitely have a price for the system, and you will most likely have to pay that price."

"System, is that right?" Yun Yi immediately turned to look at the panel.

[Uh, the contractor is right.]

The system nervously moved the control panel back a little, lest Yun Yi take the opportunity to beat it up. [But don't worry, the cost is very, very small.]

"With your preemptive retreat," Yun Yi pulled the system panel back, "who would believe that? Hurry up and tell me, what's the price!"