Lin Wuming decided he could try exploring the outside world further next.
However, he would have to wait until the cell phone he ordered online was delivered. He needed to have navigation software and a positioning system ready, just in case. Failing that, he could at least call Yomikawa Aiho to pick him up.
So, Lin Wuming once again felt justified staying home for the day, and he successfully experimented with making ramen.
Because he had made a bit too much dough, he decided to use ramen for dinner tonight as well as lunch, so Yomikawa Aiho could taste what authentic "ramen" was like.
However, what Lin Wuming hadn't anticipated was that Yomikawa Aiho called home in the evening, saying she had to work overtime and wouldn't be back for dinner.
It was obvious without asking that the Judgment force "side job" had an emergency mission.
"Tsk, Academy City is truly peaceful and tranquil..." Lin Wuming remarked sarcastically.
But there was no need to worry. When it came to handling various cases, the Judgment force was the largest and strongest law enforcement agency in Academy City. Especially when confronting criminals, it was almost a one-sided annihilation.
The real threats to the Judgment force came instead from other organizations and institutions that also possessed official backing.
Such as... the Anbu.
Under normal circumstances, the commanders of the Anbu would actively avoid direct confrontation with the Judgment force. After all, one was a legitimate, official organization, while the other operated in a gray area, doing dirty work for the powerful. If a head-on conflict erupted, it was obvious who would suffer in the end.
"And at this point in time..." Lin Wuming muttered thoughtfully.
—The Anbu organizations shouldn't be that active yet, right? They shouldn't be arrogant enough to lead to the "Anbu Wars" later on.
It wasn't until midnight that Yomikawa Aiho dragged her weary body back home.
Lin Wuming, of course, hadn't gone to sleep either and was waiting for her, playing a game.
"You worked hard. Do you want a late-night snack? I made ramen today, it'll only take a few minutes," Lin Wuming tossed the controller aside and wheeled his chair toward her.
"No, no need, thanks," Yomikawa Aiho dropped her bag and lunch container on the floor, stumbling into the room like a zombie. "We went to an izakaya with colleagues after we broke up."
Lin Wuming nodded: "Then, go wash up and sleep. It looks like you're quite exhausted today."
"Of course! I was running around all day, covering almost half of Academy City!" Yomikawa Aiho complained. "It's actually somewhat related to you, Wuming."
"Eh? Related to me?" Lin Wuming was a little surprised, then thought of something. "Did you find the mastermind who hired the killer to try and assassinate me?"
"Not yet," Yomikawa Aiho shook her head. "But spurred by your case, headquarters decided to launch a cleanup operation against illegal research facilities across Academy City... A lot of the evidence of illegal activities in many research facilities was unexpectedly uncovered while investigating your case recently."
It was a case of gaining something in one area after a loss in another.
Research facilities in Academy City were countless, the most numerous institutions besides schools. Due to the nature of the city, a significant portion of the research inevitably touched upon forbidden boundaries, often being only a fine line away from being "illegal."
However, on the surface, all registered research facilities in Academy City were legal and compliant institutions—until their other side was exposed.
It was no exaggeration to say that the difference between illegal and legal was only whether the Judgment force caught hard evidence.
Therefore, after gathering a large amount of evidence during the recent investigation, the Judgment force naturally launched a "major cleanup" operation.
As an elite member of the Judgment force, Yomikawa Aiho naturally became a core part of the operation, which was why she was working overtime so late.
Seeing the owner of the house slumped on the sofa like a pile of mud, refusing to move, Lin Wuming shook his head and wheeled his chair toward the washroom: "I'll draw you a bath. Get some rest early today. By the way, tomorrow is Saturday. Do you have to work?"
"No," Yomikawa Aiho waved a hand. "It's my rotation day off tomorrow."
"That's good," Lin Wuming nodded. "Don't work too hard. Proper rest is very important."
"I don't need a little kid like you lecturing me," Yomikawa Aiho retorted. "And, I don't need to wake up early tomorrow, so I'm going to have fun now!"
With that, as if suddenly energized, Yomikawa Aiho sprang up from the sofa with a koi jump.
She sat on the carpet and grabbed the game controller.
"Hey..." Lin Wuming returned to the living room, helpless.
He saw that Yomikawa Aiho was completely engrossed in the game and couldn't listen to anything else.
"Tsk, I guess she really accumulated a lot of stress..." Lin Wuming shook his head and went to the kitchen to prepare some late-night snacks for her.
Yomikawa Aiho had a habit of cleaning her room when she felt stressed, but now that Lin Wuming handled the housework, that method of stress relief was unavailable. As an alternative, she became addicted to video games.
Specifically, management and construction games—Yomikawa Aiho chose to translate the act of "cleaning the room" into the game, which apparently also helped relieve stress.
Normally, when Yomikawa Aiho played competitive or RPG games with Lin Wuming, it was purely for entertainment. But when she was immersed in management and construction games alone, it was to alleviate accumulated stress.
Having noticed this pattern, Lin Wuming chose not to interfere, letting her have some quiet time alone.
As for the cause of the stress, Lin Wuming could roughly guess it was related to those illegal experiment projects.
It was no exaggeration to say that during the investigation and crackdown on those illegal research projects, one could witness pure and extreme "evil," which was a strong shock to anyone with a normal worldview.
"Illegal experiments..." In the kitchen, Lin Wuming could only sigh helplessly. "What a despicable thing to exist..."
Lin Wuming himself was a victim of an illegal experiment—if his superpower were stronger, he probably would take the initiative to personally smash those illegal research facilities.
At least, he could prevent the tragedies he knew of from his memories.
Unfortunately, Lin Wuming was only a Level 3 Psychic. His strength simply did not allow him to perform such a daring feat against the establishment.
So, he could only settle for lying flat and supporting Yomikawa Aiho logistically.
To relieve her stress, Yomikawa Aiho once again stayed up playing games until 3 a.m. before finally collapsing in front of the TV.
In the end, it was Lin Wuming who carried her back to bed. Although she hadn't washed up, the utterly exhausted Yomikawa Aiho clearly didn't care about the details and sank into sleep as soon as she was tucked under the covers.