"A-Jie, you little rascal, come back, where are you
going?!" Uncle Dong watched Jie
run off. "...Sigh! Why won't he listen! That little rascal!"
"Youngsters have things they do and things they don't. You
should be overjoyed." A voice suddenly came from behind Uncle Dong.
Uncle Dong raised
an eyebrow and turned around: "Lin? What are you doing here? Watching me
make a fool of myself?"
(T/n: Lin gray, some even read as Lin gerui. He is daddy of pink haired rat)
Lin walked out of the darkness, draped in his long coat:
"As Lungmen's best fishball master, you
shouldn't take this risk. What's the harm in telling them?"
Lin looked at the displeased Uncle
Dong and said with a smile: "Is the Rat King really that important? What if everyone
can't eat the best fishballs?"
"Rules are rules."
Lin shook his head: "But you forgot, these broken rules
were all set by us."
Uncle Dong paused:
"...They're still rules."
Lin smiled: "But you took a beating for nothing, and I
don't plan on hiding forever."
"Bah, who knows what you're scheming!"
Lin walked forward and helped Uncle
Dong up: "Alright, I'll help you up. After being a fishball
master for so many years, have your skills declined?"
Uncle Dong shook
his head: "If I really fought, I'd be targeted again. Will you handle it
for me?"
"I just want to live a quiet life. A beating is a beating,
it's not like I haven't been beaten before."
"Haha, seeing my old buddies so energetic, I'm
relieved."
Uncle Dong glanced
at Lin and said irritably: "You're their target, what are you relieved
about?"
"That's why I'm relieved." Lin smiled, then paused
before saying, "This is just a farce, not to mention someone is covering
for us."
"You're always like this, aren't you tired? And who would
cover for us? It couldn't be that old dragon, could it?"
Lin didn't explain, just sighed: "Very tired, but it's not
the past anymore. We all have our responsibilities. We carry a city on our
shoulders."
"I..."
Lin glanced at Uncle Dong,
who was about to say something, and interrupted him directly: "Sell your
fishballs, nothing else concerns you."
"Can you still walk? How about a stroll with me?"
Uncle Dong waved
his hand, leaning on the wall to stand up: "It's fine, it's not a big
deal... Ow ow ow! What are you doing!?"
Lin laughed at Uncle Dong,
who was yelling in pain: "Even superficial wounds are wounds. Same old,
always trying to be tough."
"Don't think about the past anymore. This is the life you
chose, no need to feel guilty." Lin patted Uncle
Dong's shoulder. "Your fishballs are also a part of Lungmen, a more important part than me."
"You are free now."
Uncle Dong glanced
at Lin, as if he had discovered something, and said, "Then why don't I see you
coming to take care of my business?"
"...Let's change the subject. How have you been lately?"
Uncle Dong smiled,
relaxed, and leaned his weight onto Lin's hand: "Actually, I heard that Lungmen cuisine is very popular in Columbia, so I originally planned to find an
opportunity to develop there..."
"No."
"Hahaha, I did have that intention," Uncle Dong said with a laugh, "but seeing your
expression is much more relaxed, I think something good has happened, right?"
— — — — Sunset Boulevard, "End of the Earth" Bar — — — —
"So, Boss, what year is this bottle of wine?" Croissant picked up a bottle of wine, poured it
into a glass, and handed it to the Emperor.
The Emperor took it, swirled the wine in the glass, and said,
"Hmm, the settled color, the lingering aroma, the belated sweetness, the
long-lasting taste… This is…"
"Cheap wine bought at the supermarket last month."
"Ten guesses, ten hits! As expected of the self-proclaimed
number one sommelier in Lungmen!" Croissant gave the Emperor a thumbs-up.
"Bah! How many times have I told you, this is reserve weaponry,
not for drinking! Kong!"
Sora sighed, found a bottle labeled 'mouthwash' from the
counter, and walked over: "Alright, alright, this is mouthwash."
Croissant glanced
at it, seeing another original label on the bottle with the mouthwash sticker:
"Eh… rinsing with Yan yellow wine…?"
"Alcohol can indeed disinfect. There's industrial alcohol under
the bar, that'll do." Texas pointed
under the bar.
Croissant waved
her hand: "Forget it, with that money, it's better to buy something else! The
essence of spending money is in the process, the process! It has nothing to do
with the amount!"
Exusiai: "Everyone,
the Apple Pie is baked! The party
starts now!"
"Oh~ It's a pie baked by Sister Exusiai herself!
Too bad I don't know where Sister Reinette ran off
to, otherwise this party would be perfect."
Exusiai nodded:
"Isn't that right? Reinette promised
me she'd make me dessert."
"Exusiai, I don't recall agreeing
to that." Reinette pushed
open the door, single-handedly dragging Skadi in
by her collar.
"No, you did promise! You said that once this matter was
resolved, you'd make dessert!" Exusiai immediately
said upon hearing Reinette's voice,
turning her head to look at the person Reinette dragged
in, a strange expression on her face.
"Where did she drag that person from?"
The Emperor walked over and glanced at the dragged-in Skadi: "Oh, a Deepsea
Hunter. I probably know what happened."
"Something like that. Anyway, the matter is resolved." Reinette hugged Miss red,
who had rushed over, and casually stroked her head.
"Mommy…" Miss red looked
over Reinette's shoulder
at Skadi, who was still clinging tightly
to Reinette even in unconsciousness.
"It's okay, Miss red."
"I don't mind how you deal with her, as long as you don't trash
the place." The Emperor patted Reinette's leg.
"Don't worry, I'll restrain her before she turns into a
house-destroying husky." Reinette replied
to the Emperor with a smile, then raised her hand to create a water ball,
enveloping Skadi and sending her into a
room inside the bar.
Sora watched the conversation gradually stray from the main
topic and muttered, "Although it somehow turned out this way, what kind of
party is this?"
"Hmm? Bison's welcome
party, of course." Exusiai casually
replied, placing the Apple Pie on the
table.
"Then the question is, for Bison's welcome
party, where is Bison himself?"
Exusiai thought
for a moment after hearing Kong's question and confidently replied: "Hmm! I
don't know!"
The Emperor waved his hand: "Then let's find another excuse. We
never lack excuses."
Just then, Bison pushed
open the door and looked at the people inside: "...What are you doing?"
Croissant looked
at Bison, scratching her face with a slightly
embarrassed expression: "Uh. Waiting for you to start the party, I guess."
"Ah, welcome to the End of the Earth." The Emperor looked
at Bison without any embarrassment,
"Latecomers are fined three drinks. The main character being late is triple
that, but you can't drink alcohol, so nine sodas, please."
Bison's focus
seemed to be misplaced: "Why is it called that…?"
Exusiai pulled Bison in: "Don't just stand there, come in! This
is your welcome party! Want a slice of Apple Pie?
Of course, you can also join me in pestering Reinette to make us dessert."
"...No, thank you." Bison looked
at the relaxed crowd. "So, while Miss Mostima and
I were dealing with those mobsters, you were all having a party here."
"So… what about that boss?"
Texas took a
slice of Apple Pie and started eating:
"He got away."
The Emperor took a sip of wine: "To be precise, I allowed him to
get away."
Bison sighed:
"Anyway, he got away… So what do we do next?"
"The number of enemies, their objective, and their identity are
all very clear," Texas said while
eating Apple Pie, "Mafia from Syracuse, trying to seize Penguin
Logistics' sphere of influence in Lungmen."
Texas paused,
then added or emphasized: "Although we're supposed to be a logistics company…
never mind."
"Don't worry about it, Texas.
There are always a few days reserved for cleaning house."
Croissant chuckled
at sora words: "Saying that makes it sound even less like a legitimate
company, doesn't it?"
"I do wish you all had the awareness that we are a legitimate
company." Reinette pulled a
bottle of wine from under the bar, opened it, and said, "Since it's a welcome
party, does anyone dare to come and drink?"
Unfortunately, everyone present ignored Reinette's drinking invitation, as no one would face a
battle they had absolutely no chance of winning.
Exusiai tried to
steer the conversation back, hoping Reinette would
put down the bottle in her hand: "They're just wasting their time. Even if they
were handed the boss's business on a silver platter, they wouldn't know how to
run it."
The Emperor also confidently chimed in, echoing Exusiai's words: "Penguin
Logistics is irreplaceable, and I am even more irreplaceable."
Bison nodded:
"If that's the case, we have many solutions. Why must we engage in a direct
confrontation with them?"
"I don't know."
Bison looked
at Texas, who was sitting on the bar,
speechless: "I don't know… How have you all… always…"
The Emperor waved his hand indifferently: "Alright, alright,
don't be so serious. Just find an opportunity to beat up their leader, throw
him in the river, and then it's over, isn't it?"
"This farce is as much a waste of time as a failed attempt at a
lie-in. I am completely uninterested."
Exusiai nodded:
"Exactly, this isn't something worth serious discussion. Here, chewing gum."
"...Sigh." Bison sighed,
took the chewing gum Exusiai offered,
unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth. "But at least we should come up with a
plan… Wait, what flavor is this chewing gum?"
Exusiai looked
at the remaining chewing gum in her hand: "Maltol flavor."
"Let's list this brand of chewing gum as a dangerous item, Croissant."
Croissant nodded:
"I stocked up when I saw a new flavor, didn't pay attention. Hehe."
The Emperor jumped onto the sofa, banging on the table: "Hey,
are you guys still having a party or not? We have drinks and food, where's the
music?"
Exusiai chuckled:
"Don't rush, Boss, isn't Reinette back?
I'm trying to pester her to cook for us."
"I just got back, you know? Isn't it a bit much for Exusiai to exploit me like this?" Reinette glanced at Exusiai,
then placed the wine in her hand on the table. "Besides, haven't you already
prepared the food?"
Exusiai walked
to the record player with a disappointed expression.
"Jazz again…" Bison listened
to the music, recalling what had happened the last time she heard jazz.
Exusiai waved
her hand indifferently: "The previous owner here was indeed a jazz enthusiast,
but after it was transferred to the boss, there were some small stylistic
changes."
Kong looked at the surroundings and quietly said: "Only small?"
"Mainly because all of the boss's own records were just…"
The Emperor interrupted Texas:
"Stop, don't make me recall sad memories."
"Ultimately, who told him to be diagnosed with such a
troublesome illness? It's already good enough that I take time out to help him
look after this bar."
Bison heard
about the diagnosis and subconsciously said: "Could it be Oripathy? But Lungmen's attitude towards Infected should be much
better compared to other cities, right…?"
"No." The Emperor paused, took a deep breath, and then slowly
said, "It's an alcohol allergy."
"…" Bison's mouth
twitched upon hearing the Emperor's words. "Ah, an alcohol allergy."
Croissant nodded
knowingly: "For a guy who aspired to be the best bartender in Lungmen, it really is a terminal illness."
Just as everyone gathered around the dining table, preparing to
eat something, a sudden screech of brakes came from outside the door.
Reinette chugged
her wine in one go: "It seems today really isn't going to be peaceful."
The Emperor shook her head: "Why are there more dirty things
breaking in? Hey, all of you, if you want to live, get down behind the bar
immediately."
"Understood!" Croissant directly
pressed one hand on the dining table and slid into the bar.
"Ah, there's a coin under the bar, jackpot." Exusiai, who had flipped into the bar, used her wings
and sharply spotted a gleaming coin on the ground, quickly picking it up.
Sora nudged the fidgeting Exusiai next
to her: "Don't move around so much, it's cramped here~~ Ugh! Exusiai! Your halo!"
"Don't space out, Bison, get
down." Texas reached out and directly
pushed Bison's head down.
"Eh? Ah~~" Bison slowly
lay down on the ground, a beat too late.
"Fire!!!"
As the sound echoed, a series of fierce arrows flew in,
instantly throwing the bar into chaos.
Croissant listened
to the constant sound of breaking glass outside and said mournfully, "Ugh, the
shop is completely ruined now."
Bison suddenly
remembered something: "Wait, Miss Reinette, Mr. Emperor,
and Miss red seem to still be outside,
are they okay!?"
At this moment, Reinette,
holding Miss red and accompanied by
the Emperor, supported by a ball of water, slowly walked into the bar and
squatted down. As she dispelled the water ball, the feathered arrows floating
within it clattered to the ground.
"Thank you for your concern, Bison. I'm
perfectly fine."
The Emperor shook her head and said angrily, "Why are these
people so persistent? Fight back before the shop is completely blown to
pieces!"