"Alright. Alright.", seeing the conversation suddenly turn serious, Hoshiguma claps her hands and tries to change the topic, "Swire already did her best."
"Really? That's the best she could do?" Ch'en glances at her.
Hoshiguma sighs helplessly.
"Do you know why this happened?" Ch'en asks Swire.
"That's-"
"You are the senior superintendent of the LGD! What you have in your backpack are lipsticks and makeup!", Ch'en kindly answers the question for Swire.
Swire glares at Ch'en, but there's nothing she can say.
"Ch'en, you took the wrong bag when you left to catch a thief."
"Hosiguma!" Ch'en wheels around to yell at Hoshiguma, "What are you talking about?! Didn't you promise not to mention this?!"
Swire bursts out laughing as if she's vindicated.
"Officer Ch'en, Officer Ch'en.", Swire rubs her eyes, which are tearing from the joy, "It's all because you took my bag!
"How is that important?" Chen narrows her eyes.
Swire grins, "I can catch thieves even without my own bag because I've never used a weapon to catch a thief."
And then the two start arguing about weapons.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Lin Ye has been watching the two ladies bickering on and on. If he remembers correctly, he came here to make a statement, right?
He glances at the clock. Almost one hour has passed now, and he hasn't done anything. He sighs.
It seems today was going to be wasted as well.
And so, Lin Ye takes his phone out and sends a text message to Ace, telling him that he would be back later today so that they wouldn't have to worry about him.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
After who knows how long, the bickering finally starts to wind down.
The smug expressions on both party's faces showing who they think won.
Hoshiguma rubs her temples helplessly. She takes a pen and a notebook out, and asks Lin Ye and Swire, "Which one of you is going to start first?"
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
After spending 40 minutes on recording their own versions of the story, Hoshiguma puts her pen down.
Ch'en says, "Obviously, the Reunion Movement prepared a lot for the terrorist attack."
Swire rolls her eyes, "Isn't that obvious? If they didn't, how would I have been hurt this badly?"
Now it's Chen's turn to roll her eyes, "They didn't prepare for you. Don't overestimate yourself."
"Bitch!"
Hoshiguma sighs helplessly. She taps her notebook with her pen, "Hold your horses. We still have work to do."
Ch'en says, "Reunion obviously didn't weren't there for Swire. They were there for Master Walker.", she looks at Swire, "Cat, based on what you said, you originally wanted to give both tickets to Dr. Lin. You didn't plan on going yourself, right?"
Swire nods, "You can put it that way."
Hoshiguma stares at Swire in surprise, "I thought you loved Master John Walker?"
"I loved the plays, not the person." Swire says, "You should know that Master Walker isn't a native of Ursus. He moved there to further his career."
"So?", Ch'en asks.
"Do you know about the thesis Master Walker put out about the Infected half a year ago?"
"We know, and that was the reason why he was targeted by the Reunion."
"Since I really loved his plays, I used my family's connections to investigate Master Walker." Swire says, "That's when I found out that his parents were both infected."
Everyone present looks at her in surprise..
"Is that true?" Hoshiguma asks in disbelief.
Swire nods and continues, "Yeah, but he'd kept that piece of information secret. Master Walker wandered the countryside with his parents until they reached the border of Ursus, where his parents passed away because of oripathy. He only managed to settle in Ursus with their money and food. We all know how much Ursus hates the Infected, and how badly they have treated those people. Master Walker gained support from the people and the royal family of Ursus by openly speaking against the Infected, but in my opinion, he had no right to do that. If it weren't for his infected parents, he wouldn't have even survived at all."
Swire's words make everyone else fall silent.
After a long time, Ch'en breaks the silence, "Is that why you didn't want to see the play?"
Swire nods.
"But why did you still buy the tickets?'
"Who said I bought them? Someone gave them to me."
Wait.
Swire pauses, having realized something
Ch'en turns to look at Hoshiguma, "It seems that we finally have a lead."
Hoshiguma nods solemnly.
Swire grits her teeth, "That bastard wanted to hurt me?!"
"We're not sure yet.", Ch'en says, "But we know that Reunion planted a lot of spies in the LGD, and they were able to poison and subdue the theater guards and the bodyguards of John Walker without alerting anyone. They had access to explosives and the ability to lock things down. It's time to mark the Reunion as the most dangerous enemy of Lungmen."
Hoshiguma looks at Chen, "We need to tell Mr. Wei. "
"Of course, but not now.", Ch'en says, "Mr. Wei has had a lot of things to deal with recently. We need to do some investigation ourselves first."
"Did Ursus say anything?"
"Of course. They're always so aggressive." Ch'en's face turns gloomy, "It was obviously their fault. If they had allowed the LGD to protect Master Walker, we wouldn't have this mess on our hands, but they only trust their own people."
Having heard everything, Lin Ye realizes that the terrorist attack will ripple and affect the entire infected population, as ACE and Silence said.
"Dr. Lin,", Hoshiguma turns her head to look at Lin Ye, "Swire said that you managed to defeat two terrorists and subdue their leader. Is that true?"
"Um," Lin Ye nods, "but that didn't do much to stop anything. Those terrorists obviously didn't care about the safety of that guy called Wilson."
"With Walson's brain, he can't have been the one who planned the attack.", Ch'en says, "He was probably just a pawn."
"And Walson had no reason to murder Master Walker. He was just there to kill Swire.", Hoshiguma says, "But what really surprised me was you, Dr. Lin. Aren't you a doctor? How are you so good at fighting with swords, and… you were dual-wielding? Are Rhodes Island's doctors so strong?"
Before Lin Ye can explain, Swire answers for him, "Some people may seem ordinary, but in the critical moment, they can exert a great amount of power and skill.", she glances at Ch'en with a smirk, "On the other hand, some people can only use lipsticks while carrying two swords."
Ch'en's face slowly darkens.
"Damn cat, you haven't had enough?"
"Fuck you, damn dragon! It's probably a curse that I have to argue with you for eternity!", Swire snarls, "Did I say something wrong? Your swords are just decorations! You can't even pull one of them out!"
"What does that have to do with you?!"
"Then why do you care what I put in my handbag?!"
Ch'en takes a deep breath and says, "Stop wasting my time. You're not worth my attention." She then glances at Swire with a smug look, "Do you think I don't know how many times you failed to unsheathe my sword when I was away during my lunch breaks?"
Swire's face suddenly turns red, "You weren't asleep?!"
Ch'en smirks triumphantly, "Heh. Even if you try another 10,000 times, you still won't pull it out.", she pats her chest with a confident smile, "Only I can-"
*Keqing*
Lin Ye swings the blade around, amazed by how light it feels in his hand, but then he notices the stares from Swire and Hoshiguma.
"..."
Chen turns around quickly to see what those two are watching.
Lin Ye scratches the back of his head awkwardly, "Heh, heh, heh…"
He quietly sheathes the sword and bows with utmost sincerity, "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry!"
Please don't kill me.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft by Mihjaqtio
Proofread by Demosama PanzerComrade56
Edit by Mihjaqtio
