About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

In Xiosta, a restaurant near the seaside, many tourists gathered here in twos and threes to enjoy lunch. On the one hand, the location of this restaurant is indeed unique. On the other hand, there are rumors that in this restaurant you can encounter maids who look at you with cold eyes, extremely gentle and considerate waiters, and the scene of the director of the Security Bureau working with a subtle sense of taboo.

Of course, these tourists did not see what they expected today, but it was no big deal for them. After all, the topics they had today were enough to talk about for several hours.

"Did you hear? There was a lot of rumbling going on at the volcano yesterday. It was about to erupt!"

There were two guests, a man and a woman, sitting near the window. The woman was looking at the newspaper in her hand with a look of surprise on her face.

"But the newspaper said the volcano wasn't about to erupt, but rather a landslide caused by improper protection measures at the excavation site during the development of the hot springs... Hmm, although this sounds more reasonable, it doesn't seem as fun."

The girl frowned and put the coffee into her mouth and said.

"Hehe, this is all a conspiracy, my darling!"

"what?"

The man sitting opposite the girl suddenly smiled like a villain and pretended to be deep.

"The government must be hiding something! Anyone with any knowledge of the rumbling sound yesterday would have known it wasn't a landslide!"

"So you're saying the government concealed the volcano—"

"They must be secretly building the ultimate humanoid decisive battle weapon, the EVA, in the mountains!"

“…I don’t think that’s possible.”

The girl blinked, responded awkwardly but politely, and turned the newspaper to the next page.

"Also, have you heard about that Scourge Messenger, Mr. Cronin? He's involved in a variety of serious crimes, including kidnapping, murder, illegal obsidian mining, passive resistance, and concealing the truth. The court's preliminary verdict is death or life imprisonment! It's said there are so many people involved that Xiosta's prison is almost full!"

When the girl saw the news, her expression was very surprised.

"I've met Mr. Cronin a few times. He looks so gentle and refined, I don't think he'd do something like this... Or is that why he's so good at disguising himself?"

"Hehehe, you don't understand this again, my darling~"

"..."

The man once again acted like Kogoro Mori, and the girl had already fast-forwarded to Wu Yuzi's expression.

"This is a government conspiracy! That Scourge Messenger named Cronin must have been secretly transferred to be in charge of building the EVA! These people have been stripped of their social identities on the surface, but in reality, they have become invisible guardians! They have dedicated their youth to fighting against the Scourge and the Apostles!"

"How can my imagination even justify itself? It's ridiculous. But at least the illegal mining of obsidian is irrefutable. The newspaper reported that the entire underground obsidian mining and trafficking network was uncovered by a police officer, and it's said to be from Longmen!"

The girl said as she looked at the report on the last page of the newspaper.

"It's said that the police officer said he didn't want to leave his name or receive any awards, and left after doing all that. This is really cool... That police officer must be a handsome man, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and extremely cool!"

"Hehehe! This is also fake! That Longmen police officer must be a cute girl with a girlish heart and not good at speaking!"

"puff--!!"

"Woo?"

The man had just finished speaking when a sound of someone spitting out water suddenly came from the small private room behind him.

"Sorry to bother you, please don't mind it."

A very heroic apology voice came from the cubicle. The man just sighed, "This voice sounds really capable," and then continued to argue with the girl.

The camera moves to the small private room behind the couple of tourists——

"Click-"

[Police Officer Long, who wishes to remain anonymous] closed the sliding door of the cubicle, then returned to his seat with a blush on his face and wiped his lips with a tissue.

"Really...what are those guys guessing about?"

After isolating himself from the outside noise, Chen complained softly.

"Hahaha, but isn't what they said true? Handsome and dashing, cute and girly, and cold on the outside but warm on the inside and not good at talking. Isn't that a very accurate guess, Old Chen? And you did indeed destroy Xiosta's underground black market trading chain in just one night. Your business ability is definitely impeccable."

Xingxiong, who was sitting next to Chen Huijie, responded with a smile.

"Don't make fun of me, Hoshiguma. Compared to those--"

Chen waved her hands shyly at Xingxiong, rudely signaling to skip the topic, then she shifted her gaze to the young man who had been sitting across from her in the cubicle, Orson.

Orson and Chen's red eyes met, and in less than two seconds, Orson was the first to look away.

"Ah ha ha……"

Orson smiled awkwardly, his eyes wandering around for a bit, and finally he could only lower his head and study the QR code on the table to see how many black dots there were.

At this time, Orson and Chen were in a small private room in the corner of the restaurant, but the 'guests' were not only Orson, Chen and Xingxiong.

Ceylon, Hei, and Kel'tsit also sat in the small compartment. Hei and Kel'tsit sandwiched Orson in the middle.

Because no matter whether it was Hei or Kal'tsit, neither of them seemed to think about "keeping a distance from Orson", so Orson, who was sandwiched in the middle, could only shrink his body desperately, with his legs tightly together, his hands placed obediently on his thighs, and the whole person motionless.

This scene has some strange personnel configuration. In name, it is a "celebration party". Everyone holds a party to celebrate Xiosta's successful survival of a disaster.

But in reality, the atmosphere in this small compartment seems a bit strange no matter how you look at it.

The evidence for this is that many waiters came and went, but without exception, they had not yet entered the compartment, and from a distance they felt a terrifying premonition of "Absolutely don't get close...!"

Yesterday afternoon, after Hei and Orson successfully calmed Pompey's anger, they were immediately dragged by Kal'tsit to the nearby Xiosta Hospital for emergency treatment.

At first, Kal'tsit was explaining the two people's conditions. After explaining for a minute, Kal'tsit borrowed a surgical gown and ran to the emergency room to treat the two people.

Although the local doctors initially tried to stop Kal'tsit, they only needed one look to realize the difference in technician performance. They grumbled, "Are all Rhodes Island doctors freaks...?" while obediently watching Kal'tsit's showtime.

Because the treatment was very timely and Kal'tsit was the surgeon throughout the operation, the two did not suffer serious injuries. After replenishing water and cooling down, they rested tightly for a night and were able to move normally the next day.

As for "Pompeii", although this Originium worm representing the will of the volcano seems to have fallen into a deep sleep again, and the various values of the Xiosta volcano have stabilized again, according to previous detections, it can be known that the eruption of this volcano is only a matter of time. "Pompeii" will truly wake up one day, and by then, it will not be a problem that can be solved by any anesthetic.

Mayor Hermann of Xiosta initially planned to temporarily control public opinion. After all, only a small number of people were at the edge of the volcano at the time. Those who were stopped and persuaded to leave by Xingxiong might have realized that it was an attempted volcanic eruption. Most people were still unaware of the nature of the matter.

Hermann's initial plan was to maintain order temporarily and then slowly migrate out of the city step by step.

The mastermind behind all this, the Messenger of Disaster, Cronin, took the initiative to go to the Security Bureau to "surrender", but when he surrendered, he seemed like a madman, crying and begging for words like "Arrest me! Save me! Ahhhh!!!", and his body was covered with marks that looked like they were bitten by large animals, with almost no good skin on his body.

After Hei returned to the Security Bureau, he reorganized the personnel and began looking for a successor to his position.

Under Orson's guidance, Chen found the obsidian trading place, and then exerted the strength matching that of the elite of the Royal Guard Bureau. In less than one night, he wiped out all the powerful underground forces of Xiosta.

This is what happened from yesterday till now.

"Well, the atmosphere feels a bit strange. I don't know what's going on, but let me, a nobody who didn't contribute much, liven things up - cheers~~"

Xingxiong was the first one who couldn't hold back anymore. She raised the beer glass in her hand and stood up to lead the atmosphere.

"Well...cheers." "Don't say that, Sister Gui, you stopped so many people, and that's the most important reason no one got hurt!" "Cheers~" "Miss, you can't drink yet..."

The ghost tribe really has a unique charm in guiding the atmosphere. Everyone raised their glasses and clinked the glasses filled with alcohol and juice together, and everyone became less awkward and restrained.

Of course, this was just a superficial phenomenon. After everyone clinked their glasses and sat down with smiles on their faces, they all started to have ulterior motives.

——You really don't have any self-awareness at all. You've only been with Orson for three days, and you're already pretending to be this familiar? Compared to the bond, I'm a crushing winner. Even if it's about being 'naked and wet and pressed together,' that's not something I haven't experienced with Orson before...!

Kelsey was on high alert against Hei beside him, and at the same time recalled the experience when there was a short circuit in the power room of Rhodes Island and she and Orson were trapped inside.

—Isn't that a little too close? I'm not sure what the proper distance should be at a time like this...

Hei glanced at Orson from the corner of her eyes from time to time. She was a little nervous and wanted to confirm what distance she should maintain from this young man.

- Go ahead, Hei! At this moment, you should act like you're on the battlefield, aiming the KISS at Orson's lips and pulling the trigger!

Ceylon was desperately giving commands with his brainwaves, hoping that his "sister" could quickly stand up and take Orson away in one go (referring to the strategy).

—Damn it, this perfect opportunity was snatched away by Sister Gui... No, I have to find a chance to perform crosstalk...

Orson, who is at the center of the incident, is secretly thinking about how to start telling crosstalk naturally.

"Speaking of which, what kind of place is Longmen? I met a few students from Longmen when I was studying abroad in Victoria, but since we weren't in the same department, we didn't interact much."

"Longmen? It's a crowded and noisy city that's a bit too modern, with all kinds of people mixed in. It's an extremely noisy place every day. But - I like that city, and it will get better in the future."

After the initial awkwardness wore off, people began chatting.

Ceylon asked Chen about Longmen's situation, and Chen responded with a somewhat proud expression.

"What are the duties of the Imperial Guard? They should be quite different from the Security Bureau."

"Ah, when it comes to more serious issues, the Guards and the Security Bureau share the same responsibilities. They're both responsible for the safety of the entire city, but the Guards cover a wider range. Someone gets stuck on a cat climbing frame, someone causes widespread food poisoning due to free nutritious meals, someone reports that the fish stall owner looks like a fugitive murderer, a woman speeding and causing Commander Wei to fall to his knees on the washboard—these are also the things the Guards are responsible for."

Hei asked Xingxiong about the division of labor and interesting stories in the Guard Bureau.

"Xiosta wasn't so prosperous before, until historians discovered that this inland lake hadn't suffered a single natural disaster in 50 years. Only then did my father begin to govern and develop this inland lakeside city-state. As for the reason for Pompeii's existence... perhaps it's precisely because it's kept Xiosta free from natural disasters. It absorbed the Originium radiation energy that was supposed to be concentrated and condensed, and sealed it within its body. In a sense, Pompeii is not only the monster that destroyed Xiosta, but also the 'guardian god' that allowed Xiosta to become what it is today."

Ceylon tells the history of this city-state and Pompeii.

Finally, the topic came to Orson. Ceylon casually asked, "What kind of person is Orson?" As a result, everyone gave completely different answers.

"A fool who never obeys doctors' orders and acts recklessly. Even though he's more foolish than anyone else,... he can be incredibly delicate at times."

"Although she's often in jail, she's actually quite reliable. Sometimes she's like a nanny...but her cooking is really delicious."

"Even though he's my 'little brother,' I'm actually the incompetent 'big sister' who's often taken care of."

"Reassuring, reliable, and inspiring just by being around... a wonderful presence."

Everyone expressed their opinions about Orson, and Orson squatted under the table with a red face, looking like he was "being praised seriously by everyone." This kind of thing was something Orson could not handle at all, just like seasickness.

"Drip-drip-"

Chen was originally planning to pull Orson out, but at this time his cell phone rang.

"Well……"

After seeing that the caller ID was [Commander Wei Yanwu], Chen had a bad feeling.

"Hello, Commander Wei? Yes, mission accomplished—no, the suspect was killed before this, but we prevented any further impact. Yes, yes… what? That damn rat went to Dosoles without permission—ah, I get it."

After Chen answered the phone, he sighed after listening to the whole story.

"There's a new job, Xingxiong. Lin Yuxia went to Dosoles, and we have to stop by too."

"Yeah, I also received the message. Missy should be going too."

"Barbecued cat and sewer rat...all my good mood is gone."

Chen rubbed his hair, his face full of dissatisfaction.

"Well, that's the fate of civil servants. Anyway, as you can see, Lao Chen and I have some things to take care of here, so we have to leave first. If there is a chance, I will definitely take my annual leave to show you around the East Country."

Xingxiong waved to everyone, but when he said this, his eyes were always looking at Orson.

"The criminal I came here to hunt down has already died. It was a complete waste of time. However... seeing you still so energetic, it can be considered a reward. However—"

Chen Huijie glanced at Orson who was surrounded by Hei and Kal'tsit and sighed.

"You really haven't changed at all... Orson."

——I feel like Tallulah-san’s future journey will be similar to mine, filled with many hardships.

After the Longmen duo left, only Xiosta and a few people from Rhodes Island were left in the small compartment.

"Well, tomorrow we'll take the ferry with you to Rhodes Island, and Kuro will go to join the Reunion Movement. Please be patient with me then."

Ceylon smiled and said to the two of them that he had already discussed this matter with Kelsey Olsen before.

"Rhodes Island's review of operators is very strict. We will not lower the standards just because you are the daughter of the mayor of Xiosta. Please prepare in advance, Miss Ceylon."

Kal'tsit said with a serious expression.

"Rhodes Island's Human Resources Department isn't about just joining, anyone who can be exploited will absolutely woooo ...

Orson, who was standing by, was halfway through his words when Kal'tsit pinched his hips hard.

"Also—the Reunion Movement's assessment is even stricter than Rhodes Island's. As a new type of borderless security group, only the elite of the elite can join, right, Orson?"

"Uh... well, anyway, please do your best, Miss Hei..."

Although Orson wanted to say something else, the touch of Kal'tsit's fingers on his thighs under the table made Orson give up the idea of seeking death.

"Well, being able to work with Orson is something I'm really looking forward to."

Hei smiled and nodded in response, but her smile startled Ceylon who was standing beside her.

"Woo...Hei, did you just laugh?"

Ceylon asked Hei in disbelief, and the latter tilted his head slightly.

"Is this strange, miss?"

"It's not that strange... well, how should I put it... although the usually cool and handsome Black is very reliable, but as expected, it would be more appropriate for Black to smile more~"

Ceylon said this after thinking for a while, and Hei, who was standing beside him, had a slight blush on his cheeks after hearing this.