About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

"After this battle, I'll probably be killed and buried somewhere... Anyway, Miss Hei, you should now understand the situation of the volcano and that Xiosta is on the verge of collapse at any moment."

"Uh... well, although I don't know the specific situation, I vaguely know some of the circumstances."

Hei also put away the happy expression he had when he was kneading Orson, and returned to the calm and silent expression he had when he was working.

"Although Kal'tsit is a doctor, her expertise extends far beyond medicine. She's practically omniscient, and I'm confident her test results will be flawless. In fact, before Kal'tsit, a geologist from one of Rhodes Island's partners had already noticed the anomaly at the Xiosta volcano. Even Miss Ceylan had the same question, didn't she?"

"Miss... I originally thought this was just another relatively harmless hobby of Miss Ceylon. Because the area near the volcano is becoming increasingly dangerous and turbulent, I didn't pay attention to Miss Ceylon's invitation and request..."

Hei frowned. Ceylon had actually talked about the topic of volcanoes several times before, but Hei had never taken it seriously. Now, from Orson and Kal'tsit, Hei realized that the lady might be right, and might even be the first person in Xiosta City to discover the abnormality of the volcano.

"Don't be discouraged or blame yourself, Miss Hei. We probably still have time. Kel'tsit said before that although this bottle of soda is about to explode, in other words, as long as we can ensure that no one touches the bottle cap, this violent bottle of cola will only last for a short time, enough for the citizens to leave the city."

"...You're right, Orson. The volcano hasn't erupted yet, so we still have time to resolve this crisis."

Hei nodded to Orson. This young man could really bring hope and optimism to others in any situation.

"I'm going to meet with Kal'tsit now. Please inform the mayor about this. Also, please pay attention to Cronin, the messenger of the Scourge. He is the most likely suspect so far."

Orson said the name of the messenger of disaster.

"I actually hope this Scourge Messenger is an idiot who can't even warn of a volcanic eruption, but Kal'tsit has already said that measuring numerical values isn't difficult. Even if he obtained his Scourge Messenger certificate through some trickery, there's no reason he wouldn't be completely unaware of the volcanic eruption. The most likely scenario is that he concealed the fact because he could gain some benefits from it."

Orson was analyzing the motives and identity of the Scourge Messenger, whom he had never met before, while Hei was frowning in silence.

"I don't know why he did this. The Scourge Messenger has been in Xiosta for quite some time. Why would he let the city be destroyed?"

"I'm not sure, but he must have taken in the Sicilian Gang fugitives. He must have had one sole purpose in recruiting Sicilian Gang members—to learn how to maximize destructive effects. The volcano is Xiosta's totem, but it's also a powder keg waiting to erupt. This guy named Cronin must have realized the volcano was about to erupt a long time ago, but he used his authority to conceal it. Now, thanks to the Sicilian Gang's intelligence, he knows how to "unscrew the cap"—otherwise, he wouldn't have had to protect a suspect being pursued by Longmen."

"...I'll go find the Master and the Young Lady first. They might have a solution worth considering, or they might be able to explain Cronin's behavior."

Hei shook her head slightly. Although she was the director of the Xiosta Security Bureau, she never got involved in the internal political management of the Xiosta city-state. Although the personal bodyguard of the mayor and his daughter nominally possessed power second only to the mayor, she had never thought of using this power to do anything. She simply wanted to protect the "family" around her.

"Well, stay safe—and don't tell anyone about me. That guy named Cronin might have considered your treason, but his plans definitely don't include Kal'tsit and me. After all, we were just swept up in this while traveling—unrelated "foreigners." If we can avoid alerting them, we can hide as a 'special force.'"

When Hei heard Orsen say this with a smile, a question slowly emerged in her mind. She really wanted to ask Orsen why she could put so much effort into someone she had only been with for less than two days?

With his abilities and his identity as a "traveler", he could have left the city easily and comfortably after learning about the situation of the Xiosta volcano.

But the young man did not do so. It can even be said that he never thought of "abandoning Xiosta" from beginning to end.

It was very natural for him to stay here and very natural for him to choose to help this city-state, as if... everything was natural.

Because of her past and her career as a mercenary, Hei never believed in any expected help. All "good deeds" were essentially exchanges of interests under the guise of a high-sounding name. The only person she could trust was her master, Ceylon, who was like a sister to her, and then - the crossbow in her hand.

But the appearance of this young man really disrupted his unchanging pace. Hei was not even ready yet. He didn't know what attitude and what method he should use to face the pure light of Orson.

"I understand, Orson. You must be safe."

Hei thought a lot and was confused, but in the end she just nodded to Orson and told him to be careful.

"You too, Miss Hei. Prioritize your own safety, then do your best to ensure Miss Ceylon's safety. Then discuss specific countermeasures with the mayor."

"Ah."

Hei understood her current mission. When she stood up and prepared to leave the cafe, Orson called her again.

"Um—Miss Hei, where is your next destination? I'm a little worried and want to make some backup plans."

"Backup plan...? I will return to the Dorcus family mansion to search for the eldest daughter and report the current situation to the master."

"The Dolkos Mansion, huh? I see. Anyway, please bring it with you—Hmm, it seems the volcano's energy radiation is indeed getting stronger, affecting the ability of [Tuning]."

Orson reached out to rub the locator he used to use often, but the wavelength he tuned could not be accurately located, probably due to the combined influence of tides and volcanoes.

"But even if I use a locator, I probably won't be able to carry it with me forever. Anyway, don't worry, Miss Hei. I'll find some other solutions as a backup."

"Um, okay?"

Hei wasn't quite sure what Orson meant by 'insurance', but he nodded and believed Orson.

This young man might be inferior to himself in fighting, but his brain and hands are much better than his.

"Also—after we finish this job, I…I will make it up to you for deceiving you today…is that okay?"

Orson lowered his head and whispered to Hei. It seemed that he was still a little embarrassed about letting Hei mistakenly think that it was a date.

"...I understand, Orson. I will resolve this incident as soon as possible."

Hei's answer was more spirited than any of her previous sentences. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she responded, then she left the cafe full of energy.

Protect Xiosta, guard everyone, and prevent the volcano from erupting - although these goals are worth striving for for Hei, they are somewhat "empty". She doesn't know why the volcano is about to erupt suddenly, but she knows very well that if she completes this mission, she will have the opportunity to continue to get along with this boy, and even... maybe she can experience the ultimate status of "doing whatever she wants".

—Wow, you've suddenly become so motivated, Miss Kuro... I have a feeling that the source of this motivation will eventually be transferred to me in some way, but let's just ignore it for now.

Orson looked at Hei Jianding's back as he left and complained softly. Then he took out his cell phone and called someone. After a few brief instructions, Orson also left the cafe and took a taxi to the foot of the volcano while calling Chen and Xingxiong on his cell phone.

"Chen Huijie, Ghost Sister—where are you now?"

"Orson, Xingxiong and I are on the east coast. There are too many concert stages here! This is the fifth one already. How many tourists can they accommodate with so many stages? If this goes on, we won't be able to determine where that Sicilian gang will strike."

Chen's complaints came from the other end of the phone. It seemed that their mission of finding "densely populated areas where terrorist acts might be carried out" was not going well.

"Regarding the terrorist act... although we haven't reached a complete conclusion yet, I already have a pretty good idea of it. The location of this terrorist attack wasn't a city within Xiosta, but a volcano on the edge of the city-state."

"A volcano—no, who would have the time to blow that up?"

Chen's words were full of confusion.

"Uh, my meaning wasn't quite right. The Xiosta volcano isn't dormant. It's extremely unstable right now. If you use the 'correct' method to interfere with it, it will erupt, and the damage will be so severe that the entire Xiosta will be reduced to a dead city."

"——!?"

"Don't be too shocked yet. Kal'tsit and I will do our best to handle the situation at the volcano. I'll explain the details to you later when I have time. Compared to those—Chen Huijie, can you go to the Xiosta government-designated obsidian store and get some information about obsidian? Even if the volcanic crisis is resolved, some things still need to be dealt with."

"Obsidian? Uh, that's no problem for me. What information do you want?"

Chen rubbed his hair. He had just said that the volcano was about to erupt, but the next second he asked him to go to the jewelry store to check it out. This made Chen a little confused about Orson's thoughts.

"Are there any unofficial sales channels? Where can I get a large amount of obsidian? Something like that. I don't think your surveillance will last long, but I still need to disguise myself a little."

"I see. Obsidian's supply chain, right? If nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"The other one is Ghost Sister——"

Chen couldn't wait to end the conversation so that he could create the feeling that "only he and Orson were talking on the phone", but Orson still called out Xingxiong's name.

"tsk"

Chen had no choice but to hand the phone to Xingxiong reluctantly.

"Sister Ghost, can you go to the seaside stage closest to the crater and wait? If the situation gets out of control, I may need your help."

"Of course it's no problem, but what happened?"

Xingxiong expressed Maomentai in a cool manner, and asked Orson what he wanted to do.

"Well... to put it simply, we should prepare for battle. As I just said, the volcano is about to erupt, and the city-state of Xiosta will probably be caught up in an invisible war. If we win, nothing will happen, and everyone will continue to immerse themselves in music and cocktails."

"——Understood. Keep in touch with Orson and stay safe."

Neither of them asked what would happen if they lost. Chen and Xingxiong simply accepted the mission from Orson, a young man who was not a member of the Longmen Guard Bureau but was very important to Longmen.

After all, whether it is Chen or Xingxiong, they both know that Orson's choice has never been wrong, and it feels good.

------

------

On the other side, after separating from Orson, Hei headed straight for the Dorcos family manor.

"...!"

When Hei arrived at the residence, he noticed that Ceylon or Herman were not in the mansion at this time, but the means of transportation in the garage had not disappeared.

"What's going on? Where are the master and the eldest lady?"

Hei immediately asked the bodyguard in the courtyard.

"Uh, Master Herman? He and Miss Ceylon followed Cronin to the seaside. They said they were going to inspect the previous hot spring project and discuss Xiosta's development plan for the next year."

"Cronin—"

When he heard Ceylon and Herman follow Cronin away, he thought of what Orson had said to him before and immediately took out his cell phone.

"Beep-beep-"

Although the phone on the other end of the phone was ringing, no one answered.

Hei then called Herman's cell phone. Unlike Ceylon, Herman's cell phone, which was usually always turned on, was turned off.

"Well……"

Hei forced herself to calm down for a moment. She was thinking about whether to call Orson, but when she glanced at the bodyguard in the corner, Hei realized something.

These guards, behind their sunglasses, were not looking at the places they were supposed to be looking at, but were looking at themselves instead.

What they were monitoring was not the house, but themselves as "intruders".

Hei thought of Orson's words "Don't expose yourself first", but before he had time to think about further actions, his cell phone suddenly rang - it was Ceylon's call.

"Miss-"

"Is this Miss Hei? Oh, Miss Ceylon is not in a good condition to answer the phone right now, but since it was you who called, I specially answered the phone for you... So, what can I do for you?"

"——Cronin"

Hei's pupils narrowed. The voice on the other end of the phone was not Ceylon's, but the messenger of disaster who was full of mysteries.

"What happened to Miss Ceylon? I want to talk to her about something, or the mayor would be fine too."

Hei suppressed her inner anger and asked the other party calmly.

"Well... this isn't easy. The mayor is busy right now and can't answer the phone, but as for Miss Ceylon..."

There was a sound of movement on the other end of the line, followed by the girl's slightly rapid breathing.

"black--"

Ceylon's voice came briefly into the receiver.

"Miss!!"

Hei's fingers holding the phone exerted force unconsciously, but she also noticed that the bodyguards who were originally standing at their respective positions around her had now all moved closer to her and surrounded her.

"..."

Hei Kong's palm was on the tactical waist belt around his waist, but before his fingers touched the crossbow, Cronin's voice came from the phone again.

"I know what you are going to do, Miss Hei, and I suggest you not to do it... hehe."

"Woo!"

"Cronin, you—"

Ceylon's short scream instantly gave off a terrifying aura around her. She yelled Cronin's name, but because of the cell phone signal, she was unable to intimidate the messenger of disaster.

"Miss Ceylon is still intact now, Mr. Security Bureau Director. Of course, if you dare to play any tricks or have any evil ideas, your daughter will be broken into pieces. Do you understand?"

"..."

Hei gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger again.

"Miss Ceylon, please—"

Hei held the phone and wanted to say something to Ceylon on the other side.

【Please trust me】

Hei didn't say this, she thought of Orson and the boy's attitude towards his companions.

"——I believe you, so please be patient."

"..."

On the other side of the phone, Ceylon was stunned when he heard Hei's words.

Although her hands were bound in front of her with cable ties at this moment, and beside her was a crossbow pointed at her head...

But because of Hei's words, her fear and confusion instantly dissipated a lot.

——This is the first time Hei said to me, 'I believe you'...So, I must be worthy of Hei's trust!

Ceylon shook her hair vigorously. She was no longer afraid of the current situation, but began to think about what else she could do in this situation.

"That's a wonderful sisterhood, but it ends here, Director. As Xiosta City's Messenger of Disaster, I want to express my gratitude for your dedication over the years. It's a pity that I can't present you with a certificate of honor, but I believe you don't need such things, do you? Hehe..."

Cronin's cold and confident voice came from the receiver, and Hei listened attentively to the voice on the other end of the phone.