Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 583: Instructor Ch'en, That's Not How You Fight
"That last line was meant for us. Looks like your judgment was right, she really had noticed us the whole time."
Watching the white-haired girl disappear into the distance, Lin Yuxia finally turned to glance at Steven beside her.
The explanation the girl had left behind wasn't particularly convincing, but at least it was an explanation. Originally, judging from the crazed expression she wore while attacking, Lin Yuxia had assumed the girl was the type of irrational madwoman who acted entirely on instinct.
But it seemed she had been wrong.
That lone wolf clearly had her own goals. Otherwise, there would've been no reason for her to leave behind a warning—or perhaps a declaration—before leaving.
"And what's with that expression on your face?" Lin Yuxia asked, unable to stop herself from complaining after seeing Steven's disappointed look. "Didn't you get the entertainment you wanted? Their fight just now was pretty exciting, wasn't it?"
In her opinion, although the clash between Ch'en and the white-haired girl had only lasted a short while, it had absolutely been a tense and impressive exchange.
No matter how you looked at it, Steven shouldn't have looked this devastated, as if he'd just witnessed something deeply regrettable.
Or was this guy seriously the type who wouldn't be satisfied unless one of them actually died?
"That's not the issue here!" Steven declared with a righteous expression, clenching his fist dramatically. "Who watches women fighting for that kind of combat? If I wanted to watch professional close-quarters combat, I'd just go fight myself. I guarantee I'd make it look even better than they did."
"What people want to see in a girls' fight is hair-pulling and biting, obviously! The best kind is when they're rolling around beating each other senseless until their clothes are barely hanging on. That's what a real women's fight is supposed to look like!"
Lin Yuxia stared at him blankly.
"…You know what? Forget it. I stopped expecting you to act normal a long time ago."
This bastard was even worse than she imagined.
What the hell did he mean by hair-pulling and biting? That wasn't combat at all—that was the post-argument brawl phase of two street shrews yelling at each other!
At least apologize to the two people who had been seriously fighting just now, would you?!
"Shh, keep it down," Steven whispered, completely ignoring her complaints as he raised a finger to his lips. "Someone else is coming. Let's keep watching. Maybe there'll be a second round."
Then he turned his attention back toward Ch'en's direction.
Meanwhile, Ch'en herself still hadn't fully processed the white-haired girl's sudden retreat.
Logically speaking, Ch'en had been at a disadvantage the entire fight. If the girl had gotten even slightly more serious, defeating her should only have been a matter of time.
Ch'en's original plan had simply been to stall until reinforcements arrived.
Never in a million years had she expected the other side to withdraw while still holding the upper hand.
She looked toward the direction the girl had vanished into, confusion lingering in her eyes. But ultimately, Ch'en gave up any thoughts of pursuing her.
Chasing recklessly without proper preparation would be extremely dangerous.
From the moment the girl confirmed Ch'en's identity, the killing intent from earlier had noticeably faded. In other words, she probably had been telling the truth—she genuinely didn't want unnecessary trouble.
But if Ch'en insisted on pursuing her further, that would become another matter entirely.
At that point, the girl would likely stop holding back.
And without Chixiao by her side, Ch'en couldn't guarantee her own safety.
Fortunately, not long after the white-haired girl disappeared, Ch'en heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching.
From the entrance of the alley appeared the figure of a tall woman whose presence alone instantly put Ch'en at ease.
The female officer carried an enormous triangular shield on her back, so massive it looked like a slab of metal ripped straight off a fortress gate.
Hoshiguma strode over to Ch'en, glanced at her current state, and frowned slightly in confusion.
"Weren't you supposed to be on vacation today?" she asked. "Why do you look so beat up? Don't tell me you got into another fight."
After quickly checking to make sure her colleague wasn't seriously injured, Hoshiguma finally sighed in both concern and helpless amusement.
"You alright?"
There was nothing wrong with her old partner, really.
Ch'en was serious about her work, straightforward in personality, and always willing to lend a hand. But at the same time, those very qualities were also what worried people the most about Ch'en.
She was simply too devoted to her duties.
So devoted that sometimes, she completely forgot about herself.
Like charging off to tail a dangerous suspect without even bringing her weapon along.
It was hard not to worry about her safety after seeing something like that.
"Opportunities disappear in an instant," Ch'en replied, giving Hoshiguma a reassuring smile. "If I hadn't followed her, and she ended up attacking other Lungmen civilians instead, that would've been worse."
Naturally, Ch'en could hear the concern hidden in her friend's words, so she didn't bother stopping Hoshiguma from patting and checking her over from head to toe.
"So you actually caught sight of a dangerous individual, huh?" Hoshiguma looked around suspiciously. "Then where's the suspect now?"
The traces of battle in the alley were obvious enough, yet aside from Ch'en herself, there was no one else present.
Which meant the other party had most likely escaped already.
"…No idea. She got away."
Ch'en fell silent for a moment before continuing.
"She claimed she only came to Lungmen to look for someone. But I've got a bad feeling about her. That girl is definitely going to bring trouble sooner or later."
Then she glanced toward Hoshiguma.
"More importantly… did you bring my stuff?"
Hoshiguma immediately understood what she meant.
Without another word, she reached behind her back and pulled out a long sword with a crimson-red sheath before handing it over to Ch'en.
"I used to joke that the only time you didn't carry this thing around was while eating or sleeping," Hoshiguma muttered helplessly. "But now it looks like you really should keep it on you at all times. At least if you had it earlier, you wouldn't have ended up this miserable."
Ch'en accepted the sword and smoothly returned it to her waist.
The moment her hand wrapped around the scarlet sheath, it felt as though she had finally regained her center of gravity—her anchor.
"Well, there's no helping it," Ch'en replied softly. "This land has always been cruel."
"Lungmen may still be one of the better places out there… but if we want to preserve this rare peace, then it's our responsibility as members of the Guard Department to protect it."
Hoshiguma sighed.
"So what now? You planning to continue chasing after that girl?"
She already had a rough idea where this was headed.
Ch'en's vacation was probably ruined all over again.
"No rush."
One hand resting on the sheath at her waist, Ch'en slowly lifted her head and looked toward the spot where Steven and Lin Yuxia had been hiding.
"It's about time the audience who's been watching the show for so long came out and met us properly, don't you think?"
To be fair, their hiding place had been pretty good.
Unfortunately, their argument had been just a little too loud.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M