Ark Simulator, don't I have no physical form?

Just then, the glass door to the terrace was pushed open, and Mayor Candela walked in gracefully: "What are you two doing hiding here?"

Her smile was still perfect, but Lin Yuxia noticed that her fingertips were tapping lightly on the wine glass, the rhythm slightly hurried.

"Just getting some fresh air," Lin Yuxia replied with a smile.

She suddenly lowered her voice: "See you at the dock at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Bring your...equipment." With that, she turned and left gracefully, her white skirt billowing like ocean waves.

Lin Yuxia looked at Chen and noticed her unusually serious expression: "What's wrong?"

"Her perfume," Chen whispered, "is different from the one we smelled on the beach."

Lin Yuxia recalled: "There were jasmine flowers on the beach, and now there are roses..."

"No," Chen shook his head, "it's rose perfume to mask the smell of gunpowder."

The dock was shrouded in a thin mist at dawn. Lin Yuxia wore a black combat uniform for ease of movement, with two short swords at her waist. Chen Ze was fully armed, his Crimson Cloud Sword wrapped in cloth and carried on his back.

Ernesto was already waiting at the dock, wearing a waterproof jacket and a signal pistol tucked into his belt: "Gentlemen, the ship is ready."

The small speedboat rocked gently in the waves. As she boarded, Lin Yuxia noticed several fresh scratches on the hull, as if it had been scraped by something sharp.

"This is..." She crouched down to examine it.

Ernesto's expression turned serious: "Traces of the last voyage."

The speedboat sailed away from the harbor and was soon enveloped in thick fog. Visibility was less than ten meters, and the sound of the engine was particularly jarring on the silent sea.

Chen stood at the bow of the ship, the Crimson Sky sword already drawn, its blade gleaming coldly in the mist: "Something is following us."

"Boss Lin, look over there!" Su Rui's voice suddenly rang in Lin Yuxia's mind, carrying a hint of alertness.

Lin Yuxia squinted and looked out at the sea, following Su Rui's direction—several dark spots were rapidly approaching the shore.

"Chen, something's up," Lin Yuxia said in a deep voice.

Chen immediately put down the towel and hurried to the balcony: "What?"

"Three speedboats at ten o'clock," Lin Yuxia pointed into the distance. "They're moving very fast; they don't look like fishing boats."

Chen's pupils contracted slightly: "They're pirates."

"Look at that flag!" Suri magnified Lin Yuxia's vision in her mind, "Red background with a black skull—Bolivar's infamous 'Blood Skull' pirate crew."

Lin Yuxia quickly turned around: "I'll go inform Mayor Candela."

"It's too late." Chen had already grabbed his coat and sword. "They'll be ashore in ten minutes at most."

The two rushed out of the hotel and headed straight for the pier. Tourists along the way were still immersed in their merriment, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

"Boss Lin, there's a patrol boat on the left side of the dock!" Su Rui pointed out. "The key should still be on the ignition switch."

Lin Yuxia leaped onto the patrol boat and, sure enough, found the key under the dashboard. Chen untied the mooring rope, and the speedboat's engine roared to life.

"You can sail a boat?" Chen asked in surprise.

"Tell her you can do a little bit of everything!" Suri said playfully.

Lin Yuxia smiled and said, "You know a little bit of everything."

The speedboat sliced ​​through the waves, heading straight for the pirate ship. The sea breeze howled, and Chen stood at the bow, the Crimson Sky sword already drawn, its blade gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

"Watch out! They've spotted us!" Suri suddenly warned.

On the foremost pirate ship, a burly man wearing an eyepatch raised a megaphone: "Get out of the way! Or I'll feed you to the sharks!"

"Bolivarian Coastal Patrol Team! Stop the vessel immediately for inspection!" Lin Yuxia shouted.

"Wow, Mr. Lin's acting is so realistic!" Su Rui exclaimed.

The pirates burst into laughter: "A patrol of only two people? Hahaha!"

Three pirate ships surrounded them in a fan shape. Chen lowered his voice: "The plan?"

"The engine cover of the ship on the left isn't fully closed," Suri quickly analyzed. "I can guide you to shoot their fuel line."

Lin Yuxia understood and pulled two throwing knives from her waist: "Chen, cover me!"

Chen leaped into the air, his crimson sword flashing a dazzling red light as he precisely severed the grappling hook thrown by the pirate ship on his right. The pirates cried out in alarm and retreated.

Now! Lin Yuxia flicked her wrist, and the throwing knife shot out like lightning—

"Five degrees to the right again!" Su Rui adjusted in time.

The throwing knife pierced perfectly through the gap in the hood, creating sparks.

"Boom!" A burst of flame erupted from the engine of the pirate ship on the left, and it immediately lost power.

"Well done!" Chen exclaimed.

The remaining two pirate ships panicked and began firing wildly. Bullets splashed water around the patrol boat.

"Boss Lin, there's a reef area ahead!" Su Rui suddenly warned. "Lead them there!"

Lin Yuxia jerked the steering wheel, and the patrol boat made a sharp turn, rushing towards the reef area. The pirate ship gave chase.

"Are you crazy?" Chen gripped the handrail tightly.

Volume 11, Chapter 631: Just Friends

"Trust me!" Lin Yuxia focused intently on maneuvering the speedboat, weaving through the intricate network of reefs. A loud "bang" came from behind—a pirate ship had crashed into a hidden reef.

Seeing that things were not going well, the last pirate ship turned around and tried to escape.

"We can't let them get away!" Su Rui said urgently.

Chen took a deep breath, suddenly leaped high into the air from the ship's railing, and Chi Xiao drew a perfect arc in the air—

"Lungmen Guard Bureau! Stop the ship!"

A flash of sword light, and the pirate ship's mainmast snapped in two. The powerless vessel spun in circles on the sea, and the pirates surrendered one after another.

When the Dosoles Coast Guard arrived, they found only three disabled pirate ships and two smartly dressed women standing on a patrol boat.

"This...you guys solved all of this?" The guard captain was dumbfounded.

Chen put away the Crimson Cloud sword and said casually, "Just routine business."

Lin Yuxia looked at the illusory image of Su Rui in her mind, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Of course!" Suri said proudly, "But Chen Sir's leap just now was so cool! THE P truly lives up to its name!"

On the way back, the setting sun painted the sea gold. Chen suddenly asked, "How did you know we needed to fire the fuel line?"

"Well..." Lin Yuxia blinked, "Maybe THE P inspired me?"

The setting sun painted the sea off Dosoles orange-red as Lin Yuxia and Chen Huijie walked side-by-side along the seaside promenade back to their hotel. The tacit understanding they had gained from working together to deal with the pirates still lingered between them, but the atmosphere was now somewhat subtle.

"Lin." Chen suddenly stopped, the sea breeze ruffling her hair. "During the battle just now... you always seemed to anticipate the pirates' moves."

Lin Yuxia's fingers involuntarily curled slightly: "Just an intuition."

"Wow, Inspector Chen is suspicious~" Su Rui chuckled in Lin Yuxia's mind.

Chen's gaze lingered on Lin Yuxia's face, then he suddenly lowered his voice: "It's Su Rui helping you, isn't it?"

The sound of the ocean waves suddenly seemed very distant. Lin Yuxia's pupils contracted slightly; she hadn't expected Chen to be so direct in pointing it out.

"Uh... this..." Suri's voice sounded flustered.

"So you knew all along." A bitter smile appeared on Chen's lips. "How long has he been with you...?"

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel suite, Chen stood with his back to Lin Yuxia, his fingers unconsciously stroking the scabbard of the Crimson Sky sword.

"I haven't seen him since the Chernobyl incident," Chen said softly. "I thought he..."

Lin Yuxia gazed at Chen's straight back, a strange pang of sadness rising in her chest. She knew about the relationship between Chen and Su Rui—a bond that went beyond comrades-in-arms, yet remained unspoken.

"Boss Lin..." Su Rui's voice carried an unusual hesitation.

"Three months ago," Lin Yuxia suddenly said, "he suddenly appeared in my mind."

Chen's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly: "Is he... alright?"

"Tell her I'm fine!" Suri said eagerly.

"He said he was fine," Lin Yuxia repeated, her fingernails unconsciously digging into her palms.

Chen finally turned around, his dragon-like vertical pupils gleaming faintly in the twilight: "Can I... say something to him?"

Lin Yuxia's breath hitched. She didn't want to share Su Rui—the thought came so strongly that it startled even herself.

"Lin Yuxia..." Su Rui called her softly.

"He's unpredictable." Lin Yuxia looked away. "He appears and disappears intermittently; there's no guarantee..."

Chen stepped forward, the tassel of Chixiao's sword swaying gently: "Just one sentence. Please."

The room was so quiet you could hear their heartbeats. Looking at the earnestness in Chen's eyes, Lin Yuxia suddenly realized she was doing something very childish.

"...All right."

"Inspector Chen!" Su Rui's voice immediately came through Lin Yuxia, carrying a familiar lightness, "Long time no see!"

Chen's eyes instantly reddened. She reached out as if to touch something, then slumped down: "It really is you..."

"That move you just made was so cool! You've improved so much since Lungmen!"

Chen burst into laughter through his tears: "You haven't changed at all."

Lin Yuxia stood to the side, watching the two talk through her, feeling as if a stone was pressing on her chest. She suddenly regretted her decision.

It was late at night when Chen finally returned to his room. Lin Yuxia stood in front of the bathroom mirror, looking at her slightly pale face.

"Are you happy?" she suddenly asked.

"Boss Lin..."

"I've finally seen her again." Lin Yuxia turned on the tap, letting the cold water wash over her wrists. "You've always liked her, haven't you?"

"It's not what you think." Su Rui's voice was serious. "Chen Sir and I are comrades-in-arms, close friends, but..."

Water droplets dripped down Lin Yuxia's chin. She didn't want to admit that she was acting like a sulking child at that moment.

"Then why did you choose me?" she asked softly. "Why me, the one in my mind?"

A mist rose on the mirror, and Su Rui's faint silhouette appeared. He reached out, as if to wipe the water from Lin Yuxia's face:

"Because only when I'm with you do I feel like I'm home." The thing is, this wasn't my choice, and I had no choice in the matter.

The next day at breakfast, Chen sat down opposite Lin Yuxia with a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she said suddenly. "Thank you for letting me see him."

Lin Yuxia stirred the oatmeal porridge without looking up: "Mm."

"I won't take him away from you," Chen said softly. "I know... he's very important to you."

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting dappled shadows on the table. Lin Yuxia finally looked up and found Chen's eyes clear and unfathomable.

"He cares about you too," Lin Yuxia heard herself say. "We can...take turns."

Chen paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Like a shift change?"

The atmosphere between the two suddenly lightened. Lin Yuxia smiled slightly: "The early shift is mine, the late shift is yours."

"Hey! I haven't agreed yet!" Suri protested.

"Rejected," the two ladies said in unison.

On a street in Dosoles in the early morning, Lin Yuxia was looking down at the intelligence on her terminal, while Chen Huijie warily scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, Lin Yuxia's terminal screen flickered a few times, and an unfamiliar interface popped up.

"What's going on?" She frowned and tapped the screen.

"Don't be nervous, it's me~" A line of text suddenly appeared on the screen, followed by a pixelated smiley face. Suri's way of communicating with them through electronic devices was always so unpredictable.

"Su Rui?" Chen leaned closer, his hair brushing against Lin Yuxia's cheek. "You hacked into the terminal again?"

"This is called technical support! Seeing how hard you guys are working on this investigation, I've found you an easy way to make money~" The text was followed by a wink emoticon.

Lin Yuxia narrowed her eyes: "Get to the point."

"A 'Summer Water Gun Championship' is being held at the plaza just around the corner. The champion will receive a brand-new game console and 50 LMD. I've already registered you guys!"

"We don't have time—" Lin Yuxia hadn't finished speaking when the terminal automatically redirected to the competition introduction page, which clearly displayed "The first round of the competition will begin in 10 minutes."