Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 504: Chauffeured Service
Such a warm and enthusiastic "welcome" from Lungmen didn't make Steven reconsider his trip.
On the contrary, it only made things more interesting.
He strolled leisurely toward the smoldering wreckage of the convoy and glanced at his minimap. Only then did he realize that letting Centaurea handle everything wasn't entirely a good thing.
Sure, he had saved himself the effort.
But she'd been a little too thorough.
Not a single survivor left to question?
He cast a sidelong look at the white-haired girl, who was idly playing with her bow as if she had just finished a light warm-up exercise. Ever since he had let her try the weapon a few times, she had made no effort to hide how much she liked it.
It made sense, though, for an archer, what could be more irresistible than a perfectly balanced longbow that never runs out of arrows?
"They're all wiped out," Steven said teasingly. "I thought at least one or two of these underlings would have that cockroach-tier survivability. With this result… should I pin the blame on you?"
Centaurea rolled her eyes.
"Absolutely not. You were the one who told me to deal with them. And besides, you could tell at a glance they weren't the type to know anything useful. Just disposable pawns sent to harass us."
Truthfully, she hadn't expected them to be that fragile either. She had only fired a few arrows, and they had already been annihilated. Compared to the opponents she used to face while working in the Armorless Union, these were hardly worth mentioning.
"I say," Mostima interjected, rubbing her temples, "can we not stand here discussing this like it's casual small talk? I'm not saying what you did was wrong, but… isn't this a bit too nonchalant?"
"Relax," Steven waved dismissively. "This is exactly the effect I wanted. After something like this, someone will definitely come to 'escort' us inside soon enough. Instead of lining up for inspections and paperwork at Lungmen's checkpoints, wouldn't it be better to get a private ride?"
He was, technically speaking, half an undocumented individual in this world. There wasn't exactly an ID system like back home, but entering Lungmen wasn't something you did casually either. At the very least, there would be records, questioning, registration.
He hadn't prepared any of that.
"Chauffeured service?" Mostima stared at him. "Do you even realize what you're saying?"
Mostima covered her face with one hand, a faint headache coming on.
Her original plan—to quietly slip into Lungmen alongside these two—had officially gone up in smoke. Judging from the current situation, the young man in front of her was clearly the type who loved stirring up trouble just to see what would happen.
"Of course I know what I'm saying," Steven replied with a shrug. "Otherwise, why would I have Centaurea take action? And you—stop playing with your weapon of mass destruction. I'll hold onto it for now. I'll give it back when you need it."
Before his words had even fully fallen, the distant wail of sirens cut through the air.
From the direction of Lungmen's main gate, a convoy of police vehicles sped out, clearly responsible for maintaining the city's security.
An explosion at such close range? There was no way it wouldn't attract attention.
Which was exactly what Steven had intended.
They had been walking long enough. It was about time to rest their feet, catch a ride into the city, and maybe grab a free lunch while they were at it.
"So this is what you meant by 'chauffeured service'?" Mostima asked dryly.
Moments later, she found herself seated in the back of a Lungmen police car alongside Steven and Centaurea. First day in town, and already riding in an official escort vehicle—she had to admit, that was a kind of talent.
"You tell me," Steven said lazily, leaning back. "Compared to walking, isn't this more comfortable? More secure?"
"…."
Mostima found herself unable to refute it.
Strictly speaking, if the goal was simply to enter the city safely, this was indeed the most stable and secure method. No matter how influential the people targeting her might be, it was highly unlikely they would dare attack Lungmen's law enforcement directly.
"Safe or not, I can't say," a low, slightly drowsy female voice interrupted from the driver's seat. "But a suspect as brazen as you? That's a first for me."
The speaker was a tall policewoman with long green hair—a shade so vivid that only someone in this world could pull it off. Her uniform was crisp, her build imposing, and from her forehead protruded a single flesh-like horn.
While driving, she occasionally turned her head to glance at the trio in the back seat, clearly having held back commentary for a while.
More than annoyance, though, there was curiosity in her eyes.
"Careful with your wording," Steven replied. "We're not suspects. At most, we're upstanding citizens acting in defense of justice. Have you ever seen criminals cooperate this willingly? Also, I strongly recommend you keep your eyes on the road instead of turning around mid-drive."
He genuinely felt like the car might veer straight into a wall at any moment.
The horn on her forehead was unmistakable to him. With his vast and questionable reading experience, Steven could easily associate it with the so-called "oni" archetype from japan folklore.
"It's fine," the green-haired officer said with a reassuring smile. "I'm a very skilled driver. Even if I look back occasionally, nothing will happen."
As if to prove her point, she turned around again—fully meeting Steven's gaze while the car was still in motion.
"…And if something does happen?" Steven asked.
"No problem. Besides being good at driving, I have a very strong body. Even if we crash, I'll be fine."
"…?"
Steven stared at her.
"Is that something a police officer is supposed to say?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M