Just as Caiaphas Cain was about to have Yugen send the Soldiers back to camp, and Li Feng accompany Sister Fides on patrol, he could then take Police Officer Venita to a nearby cafe for afternoon tea, to talk about life and ideals, and then invite her to stroll through District 13 with him...
While Caiaphas was calculating with a flurry of mental abacus clicks, the Soldiers began to chat...
"There's a girl there, isn't there?"
Milsen interjected.
"Purple hair?"
Caiaphas glared at him, wanting him to shut up and not disturb the Political Commissar's courting operation.
But Nordstrom nodded, a doting smile appearing on his face: "Heheheh ~ Ca ~ me ~ la ~."
A moment later, Milsen's face also showed a similar dazed expression:
"That little darling ~ she also has some stunning tattoos."
"I know that one."
Milsen looked triumphant.
"The last thing I remember before waking up in the alley was buying her a drink."
Li Feng, seeing the Soldiers reminiscing with doting expressions, asked curiously:
"Police Officer Venita, who are they talking about?"
She also nodded, but her thoughts were clearly very sharp: "Sounds like a local technician, she works at an entertainment venue called 'New Moon'."
"See, I was right. Some hero should go there and sort them out properly," Javik said, giving Caiaphas a meaningful glance.
From his tone, it was clear who he had in mind. In principle, Caiaphas did not object to the suggestion, but Caiaphas had already filled his schedule with Police Officer Venita's name.
Things were drifting into an area Caiaphas did not want to understand. If Caiaphas got involved, it would make his work more troublesome and also deprive him and Police Officer Venita of many romantic opportunities. So Caiaphas immediately interrupted their conversation before they got to anything resembling an actual plan of action.
After all, for someone like Caiaphas, Little Treasure Kai, if he didn't understand the hidden dangers involved, he couldn't hope to prevent them.
"I believe this matter can be safely entrusted to the Peacekeepers. Police Officer Venita and I still have some work to do..."
Caiaphas spoke to everyone with his most authoritative posture. Javik understood the hint and immediately shut his mouth... Li Feng, however, looked at Caiaphas with a disdainful expression... Tsk tsk tsk, for the sake of wooing a girl, he wasn't even bothering to act anymore.
"I think this is worth us shaking the tree," Venita said, which was somewhat unexpected to Li Feng and Caiaphas.
She looked at the Police Officer on duty in the cell and said: "Larabi, you look after things while I'm gone."
She gestured to another of her colleagues, then Venita gave a casual, sharp nod and said to Caiaphas: "You're coming with me, Political Commissar. After all, it was your men who reported it."
Normally, if someone threw such a task at Caiaphas, he would come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid it... But, wasting a few hours alone with the beautiful Police Officer Venita on such a bright spring morning, Caiaphas didn't seem to dislike this work.
So Caiaphas nodded involuntarily, indicating his agreement. At this point, Sister Fides, who had been silent for a long time, asked:
"Do you need help from our Battle Sisters? Although they are all Novice Nuns, their abilities are absolutely not weak."
Hearing Sister Fides's words, Police Officer Venita showed a joyful expression. When she was a little girl, she wanted to join the Battle Sisters, but "a heavy rain ruined her nun dream," and she failed the selection.
"No problem, Sister Fides. It's our honor."
...Even in peacetime, this place called New Moon looked like a dilapidated building. At night, the pink and magenta lights it emitted would lure undiscriminating customers inside.
In the daytime, it looked even worse. The peeling paint on the blinds and broken concrete slabs on the building's exterior suggested cheap wooden furniture inside and even cheaper inferior liquor sold.
And at this moment, standing on the street were a Political Commissar, an officer, a Police Officer, and several Police Officers... as well as a five-person Novice Nun combat team led by a High Sister of Battle.
"Peacekeeper inspection! Open the door quickly!"
The sergeant's voice was disproportionate to her petite stature. After a while, seeing nothing happen, she repeated the process, which attracted the attention of a small group of passing "parasite" civil servants from the Administration, who furtively watched the spectacle and began to whisper to each other:
"It's about time someone did something about this awful place."
The shop door remained tightly shut.
"Oh, dear. No one seems to be inside ~"
Venita said loudly, every syllable in her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned to the Police Officer beside her, who had already drawn her laser pistol and whose eyes gleamed with anticipation, and spoke.
At this moment, Fides and the Nuns raised their Bolters, aimed at the door, and pulled back the bolts. The mechanical sound of heavy firearms and bolter rounds caused the surrounding pedestrians to scatter and take cover.
"We'll have to blast the hinges off the door."
Li Feng hastily pushed down the Bolter in Fides's hand; if all five of them fired a full magazine from their Bolters, the entire building would likely collapse.
Someone was clearly listening to the commotion outside, because suddenly there was a click from inside the door as a bolt was disengaged. The door creaked open a small crack, revealing an unhealthy-looking figure inside, wearing ill-fitting clothes and a Bartender's apron, once a certain color, now stained with grime.
"Oh, Police Officer... wait. My mistake, I was slow..."
"What can I do for you?" the man said, his bowing posture making his obsequious tone sound even more insincere.
"Gentlemen, what can I do for you?"
When the fellow first saw Caiaphas and the Nuns, his voice immediately dropped, sounding very unconfident. Whatever he had originally expected to happen, he certainly hadn't anticipated an Imperial Commissar and Battle Sisters showing up at his door.
"And a Political Commissar... distinguished Nuns...?"
"Caiaphas Cain."
"Order of the Martyred Lady, High Sister, Fides."
The two introduced themselves.
Caiaphas hoped his reputation had preceded him to this place, a safe bet given the large number of Defence Force Soldiers among the clientele here.
His slightly widened eyes confirmed this; he had indeed heard of the heroic Commissar Cain. At this point, Police Officer Venita asked:
"Camella Dobravielski. We need to talk to her. She works here, right?"
Venita unceremoniously pushed past him.
"Yes, she works here."
The Bartender quickly moved to the side of the door, looking very flustered. Soon, everyone entered the bar, and only then did the Bartender stammer behind them:
"But the bar management is absolutely not responsible for any actions of illegal employees..."
"Shut up, police raid! Turn on all the lights!"
This new voice surprised Li Feng for a moment before he realized it came from Police Officer Venita's junior Police Officer beside him.
Li Feng thought this rough enforcement might have scared the Bartender, so he started playing the "good cop":
"You just need to tell us where she is."
"Sir, she's upstairs."
The Bartender bowed obsequiously and said this, then stared intently at the laser pistols in the hands of the two Police Officers and the Bolters in the hands of the Nuns.
Li Feng looked around and found nothing threatening. The building was as dilapidated as Li Feng had expected, looking more like a illegally constructed small bar inside a condemned building rather than the kind of tavern you'd hope to find on a beautiful agricultural world. But Li Feng guessed their customers weren't the type to pay for complex decor.
"Thanks. I'll remember your cooperation today," Venita said coldly.
Caiaphas and Venita, with a Police Officer, left the wide-eyed Bartender behind and headed straight for a door at the back of the building, which had a roughly printed sign nailed to it that read "Staff Only."
Meanwhile, Li Feng and the Nuns stayed on the first floor, on standby. The Bartender brought several glasses of clear water and offered them to the Nuns, but the Nuns' operational regulations had strict rules against this.
"Thank you, we don't drink water."
Li Feng, having walked for so long, was also a bit thirsty, especially since his milk tea had been taken by Fides in one gulp. So Li Feng picked up the water glass offered by the Bartender, just bringing it to his lips.
Fides snatched the water glass from Li Feng's lips and then returned the cup to the Bartender.
"During a mission, do not eat or drink anything of unknown origin."
The Bartender could only sheepishly take back the prepared cups. Soon, a large number of staff in uniform came out of the staff area, carrying mops and buckets, and began cleaning the hall.
"Everyone, the shop will be open for business in a few hours. We need to clean up before opening. Please forgive us."