Chapter 53: Section 23. Loyal and Dutiful Inspector Leung

Chapter 53: Loyal Duty — Inspector Liang

Zhou Jinru’s heart was filled with deep sorrow because Hong was missing.

That night when he was kidnapped by Fengchi Logistics, Hong had run out alone and had since vanished without a trace. The Guard Bureau was unable to find her whereabouts. He hoped nothing bad had happened.

Most likely, Kelsey would have beaten her to death—she cared for Hong so deeply.

“Baison, can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call.”

After much hesitation, he finally decided to contact Hongdou. Ever since the infected attacked and made the news, he had rushed out of the Outer Ring, having no time to reach her. If she thought he had run away again, their next meeting would probably end with another headbutt.

Learning from past experience, Zhou Jinru recited Hongdou’s contact information repeatedly until he memorized it perfectly.

Baison didn’t ask why and simply took his phone from his jacket pocket, handing it over.

Baison’s phone looked no different from those Zhou Jinru had used before. Unfortunately, before crossing over, he had been on the basketball court, with his phone and wallet locked away in a locker. Apart from a few clothes, he didn’t even have a single coin on him. Luckily, he had appeared inside Rhodes Island; otherwise, he would have had to beg to survive.

As a modern man, a phone was as indispensable as oxygen. He quickly grasped the basics of Baison’s phone and dialed the number. About half a minute later, an irritated voice came through.

“Who’s calling at this hour? Go to sleep! What a prank!”

It was Hongdou’s voice, and her fiery temper was exactly how he expected her to respond.

Zhou Jinru cleared his throat instinctively and cautiously greeted, “Good evening, Hongdou, it’s me…”

“You dare call me?!” Her voice shot up eight octaves as if she were roaring into the receiver. “You ran off without a word! I thought you were pranking me. We got caught, and you just ran away. I can’t act anymore! Those reporters love twisting stories about infected attacking people…”

Zhou Jinru moved the phone slightly away from his ear; even three or four centimeters apart, he could still hear Hongdou’s complaints. Baison looked on helplessly.

This one-sided venting lasted nearly two minutes, mostly Hongdou releasing her frustration. Zhou Jinru chimed in once or twice and confirmed one thing: his talent couldn’t sense others’ emotions through the phone.

“…Hey, A-Guang, are you still listening?”

After the outburst, Hongdou’s voice calmed considerably. She paused for a few seconds before apologizing: “Sorry for making you laugh.”

Zhou Jinru smiled, “It’s nothing. Listening to the agents’ grievances is part of my job.”

Suddenly, he felt like a terrible person.

---

“I’m no longer an agent of Rhodes Island.”

Somewhere in Lungmen, Hongdou hugged a quilt, leaning against the headboard. Her hair hung down, covering most of her face, and she bit her lip gently. “Doctor, I’m the second agent to leave Rhodes Island. If I had managed to bring back Miss Eyjafjalla in time, maybe we wouldn’t have all scattered. I don’t dare go back…”

“Wow, fearless Hongdou is scared now? Eyjafjalla’s departure isn’t your fault. She has her own ideas—she’s following her parents’ will to become a geologist studying Originium disasters. She has a mission she must complete.”

Zhou Jinru recalled Eyjafjalla’s file carefully. Just as he thought he had convinced Hongdou, she suddenly muttered gloomily, “Doctor, you’re wrong. Miss Eyjafjalla didn’t leave for the reasons you think. Haha, looks like you’ve forgotten what you promised her.”

What promise?

Zhou Jinru was puzzled. Before quitting, he had set up Little Sheep as his assistant and enjoyed poking around daily, delighting in hearing “Senpai, senpai.” No one could resist Risa’s farming!

Looking back, quitting was a moment of madness. He had deleted and reinstalled games many times—like when teammates dragged his rank down in League of Legends, uninstalling at night but reinstalling late at night.

Yet why, even after downloading Rhodes Island’s client, did he never muster the courage to install it?

The irresponsible doctor gave no reply, and Hongdou’s heart sank bit by bit. He really had forgotten.

She sniffled hard: “You still owe me money. I won’t let you off—at least 200,000 Lungmen coins. Not a cent less!”

Zhou Jinru was baffled: “If I’m no longer at Rhodes Island, how do I owe you money?”

Hongdou grew exasperated: “I don’t care—you owe me! Give me your address, I’m coming to find you!”

Zhou Jinru glanced at the Guard Bureau building behind him and hesitated: “I haven’t found a place to live yet. If you want to find me, come to the Guard Bureau.”

“Fine, I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Hongdou hung up with a snap, clutching the phone as if she were melting into the warm quilt. She softly hummed an unknown tune, her once gloomy mood suddenly brightening.

Where she couldn’t see, a shadow quietly slipped away from her door, returned silently to another room, hugged a pillow, and wept in silence.

From then on, Lungmen had one more heartbroken soul.

Returning the phone to Baison, Zhou Jinru forced a bitter smile: “Sorry for making you laugh.”

Baison shook his head: “Not at all. These things are common, especially in Lungmen.”

He silently added in his heart: especially at Penguin Logistics in Lungmen.

---

The two stepped out of the Guard Bureau building. Two people were sitting by the empty roadside. One sprang up and rushed over as soon as he saw Zhou Jinru emerge.

“Doctor!”

Caught in a bear hug from Snake Cutter, Zhou Jinru nearly fell backward, but Baison caught him just in time.

“How long have you been waiting?” Zhou Jinru hugged Turtle tightly. He tested his strength and realized he couldn’t lift her—her shield was probably stashed in her backpack behind her.

Heavy-armored operators always kept their shields close. So where did Baison keep his?

With Snake Cutter was a Lungmen inspector—none other than Liang Chao. But Liang’s head was wrapped in gauze, as if struck by something.

Only two days apart, and he was already injured. Zhou Jinru couldn’t help but feel respect. Lungmen’s inspector was truly devoted, injured yet refusing to rest—a model of professionalism.

“Mr. A-Guang, we meet again. I deeply apologize for the previous incident. It won’t happen again.”

Liang Chao bowed solemnly to Zhou Jinru in apology.

“Mr. A-Guang, tomorrow night, I’ve arranged a banquet at the Champs-Élysées Hotel on Golden Peony Street. Please do me the honor of attending.”

Hearing this, Zhou Jinru hurriedly declined: “Next time, definitely next time. Actually, hopefully no next time. Liang, you’re injured—don’t be so polite. Forget about the expense; just take care of yourself.”

Liang’s face showed a pleading expression. He grabbed Zhou Jinru’s arm: “No, Mr. A-Guang, I’m sincere. Please, you must come.”

What was going on?

Zhou Jinru was a bit overwhelmed. While pulling away Liang’s hand, he began changing the subject: “Liang, with such a serious injury, the case must have been tough. You need to recover well to continue serving Lungmen. Don’t waste energy on trivial matters.”

Liang stopped tugging and pointed seriously at the gauze on his head: “Ansel hit me with an ashtray. I must have offended him. I need to apologize. So please, Mr. A-Guang, will you help me?”

Zhou Jinru froze, a question mark slowly appearing on his forehead.

?

Requesting recommendations and bookmarks at the start of the month.

(End of chapter)