Chapter 40: The Delivery Angel

Ansel felt like he was losing his mind.

Only a few hours had passed since arriving in Lungmen, and the Doctor had gone missing, Red had run off, and all that remained was a dazed Popukar calling him "Sister Ansel." There was still no news of his teammates from the A4 reserve team. He had requested support from the base, only to be told that the Doctor was busy with other matters and that he shouldn't worry.

Those things weren't even the most frustrating part. A Lungmen police inspector named Liang Chao had told him that "A-Guang" had been kidnapped, but that there had been a shootout with a gang on the way; two people were dead at the scene, no trace of A-Guang had been found, and the Lungmen Guard Department was still searching.

Fine, he could accept that. After all, the Doctor was conducting a secret operation, and one had to trust the base's judgment.

But why did Liang Chao keep inviting him to things?

Going to an amusement park during the day, a movie in the afternoon, a high-end restaurant at night—were Lungmen police inspectors really this idle?

"I don't want to go, thank you. I am here to support my comrades. You should be telling me their location and taking me there. If you keep harassing me like this, I will have no choice but to report this to Chief Wei. And one last thing!" Ansel roared, "Get this through your head: I am a man! A real, upright man! You loser!"

He had finally managed to learn a classic Lungmen slang term.

Liang Chao wore a look of bewilderment, followed by shock, doubt, horror, sadness, calmness, and finally an eager, restless expression—forcing Ansel to kick him out.

Two hours later, Liang Chao came back, awkwardly suggesting that he didn't mind...

A moment later, an ashtray flew from across the room and struck him square in the forehead. Liang Chao slumped to the floor and passed out.

Ansel immediately packed his things and left the Champs-Élysées Hotel with Popukar. He couldn't stay here anymore; the Lungmen police, especially that Liang Chao, were absolute perverts!

"Sister Ansel, Popukar feels that Uncle Liang’s heart is very empty," Popukar whispered.

"Don't call me Sister, call me Brother. And it’s not that the Inspector has an empty heart; he’s sick and needs a psychiatrist!" Ansel snapped.

"Sister Ansel, I'm hungry."

Popukar whispered, turning to look at the McDonald's sign on the side of the road—a billboard featuring an old, white-haired man holding a bucket of fried chicken.

Ansel thought for a moment. It was still a long way to the Guard Department; they might as well eat something first.

***

As they walked through the door, on the other side of the restaurant, a red-haired Sankta with a bright halo pushed the door open, phone in hand, seemingly in the middle of a call.

"I’m so envious of you, Texas. Having Sora with you is true happiness."

She tucked the phone into her arm guard and put on a Bluetooth headset. Texas's complaining voice came through: "Exusiai, you're wasting money again. Are you some kind of 'Moonlight Girl'? You manage to spend all the salary the boss gives you, and now you're 'eating dirt' again."

"Texas, you're so noisy, you're turning into a nag. That term 'Moonlight Girl' sounds so nice—who said it? Did you invent it? Look at me eating dirt and you won't even help me out."

Texas was silent for a few seconds before sighing, "I didn't come up with that term. Have you forgotten him already?"

"Nope, I’m not that forgetful."

Exusiai swung her leg over a cool-looking black motorcycle.

It was a magnificent machine. Many had asked her with envy where she bought it, including the others at Penguin Logistics, but Miss Exusiai had never revealed its origin to outsiders.

"Enough chatting, I have a delivery to make. Make sure you protect Sora—that kid really likes you, don't let her down. Also, I know Bai Qiyuan is pursuing Sora. That Liberi is a radical who opposes the Infected."

Texas chuckled softly, "Exusiai, why have you become so cautious? We are the glorious Penguin Logistics; we don't fear any difficulties. Just face them with a smile."

"Mm-hmm, I believe you."

Ending the call, Exusiai drove to a nearby bank. She handed a card to the teller and said familiarly, "Transfer to this account as usual. Just leave ten thousand—no, eight thousand is fine. Like before, make it an anonymous donation."

A large sum of money was transferred from the card. Exusiai let out a long breath. She didn't need much money to live in Lungmen, but someone else definitely did. If the Infected didn't receive effective treatment for long, the Oripathy would gradually spread throughout their body, and by then, it would be too late.

Back when Penguin Logistics separated from Rhodes Island, a white figure had been trailing the four of them. She kept saying she was afraid of being killed by the red wolf, but everyone knew the real reason.

"If you die, Texas won't be happy. That girl doesn't have many friends; losing even one would be painful."

Putting her helmet back on, Exusiai returned to her optimistic self. A little trouble was nothing to her; it was just a matter of money—piece of cake.

"Let's see... somewhere in the Lungmen outskirts. The order is from... Chief Ch'en? Why is it her?"

Exusiai stared in astonishment at the name under the order on her phone. It was indeed Ch'en, the Chief of the Lungmen Guard Department, a former comrade from her time at Rhodes Island. They had fought side-by-side for a while and knew each other well.

***

The Sankta mounted her bike. The roar of the engine was sweet to her ears. The needle on the dashboard climbed rapidly, the exhaust pipe spat out thick black smoke, and the wide rear tire left a black streak around the corner. Pedestrians, trees, vehicles, and buildings flew behind her. The bike seemed to become part of her body, agile as if she were flying low to the ground.

Twenty minutes later, she arrived at her destination. An isolation tape had already been set up, and several Guard Department officers stood guard outside. Seeing the "Delivery Angel" arrive, they cleared a path. She rode her bike slowly into the scene. In front of the wreckage of two scrapped cars, several officers were investigating, while two figures—one tall and one short—stood not far away.

The deputy, standing 184 centimeters tall, stood beside her companion, making the other look somewhat petite. She noticed Exusiai's arrival from a distance and didn't greet her until she was close: "Exusiai doing the delivery again today?"

Exusiai hung her helmet on the rearview mirror and walked over, carrying a large bag: "If it weren't for me, you lot would be hungry for at least another half hour."

"Speeding again? Do you want more tickets?"

Chief Ch'en, with a stern expression, turned and scolded her.

Exusiai looked around, dodging the subject: "Huh? How come I don't see Miss Swire?"

Hoshiguma took the food from Exusiai and laughed: "She's not here. Even if she were, she wouldn't eat this kind of junk food."

"Enough talk. Exusiai, come here. I have something to ask you."

Chief Ch'en beckoned her to follow. They walked up to the two wrecked cars. Exusiai said quickly, "More questions? That's going to cost extra."

"Why are you just like Croissant?"

"I have more integrity than her, and I'm more professional than your people."

Ch'en was silent for a few seconds, then pointed to a charred steel door panel. There was an inconspicuous bullet hole on it: "Look at this hole. Look closely."

Exusiai leaned in, unimpressed, but after staring for a few seconds, her careless expression turned serious.

It wasn't an ordinary bullet hole.

Only a Sankta could recognize it—it was a hole made by a bullet fired from a Guardian Gun. The other party was also a Sankta.