Chapter 342: The Explanation of Elegance
Zhu Yuan stepped through the doorway, her presence instantly shifting the atmosphere in the room. She wore her crisp PubSec uniform, the polished epaulets gleaming under the shop's warm overhead lights, proudly displaying her rank. Her expression was locked into a mask of absolute seriousness, exuding a heavy aura of authority that demanded immediate respect without her needing to raise her voice a single decibel.
She calmly scanned the bewildered PubSec patrol officers. "We've received the latest directive from the command center. An emergency has occurred in the street-side area, and security patrols urgently need reinforcements."
"The subsequent patrol of Sixth Street and the verification of resident reports will now be officially taken over by the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team."
Her words were concise, clipping through the tense air, but the underlying message was crystal clear—she was taking absolute command of the situation.
The officers recognized her immediately, well aware of her elite standing within the Bureau. A flash of reluctance crossed the tall officer's face, but he stiffened, snapping a crisp salute. "Yes, Captain Zhu Yuan!"
Zhu Yuan offered a curt nod, sparing no extra words. The officers exchanged defeated glances, realizing their jurisdiction ended here. Dropping their aggressive stances, they filed out of the video store in a tight formation.
Belle listened to the heavy, synchronized thud of their boots fading down Sixth Street. Her tightly strung nerves uncoiled for a fraction of a second, but that fleeting relief was instantly crushed by a far heavier, suffocating pressure settling over the room.
Zhu Yuan hadn't moved to leave. Instead, she shot a brief hand signal to Qingyi, gesturing for her partner to lock the shop's front door. The mechanical click of the deadbolt sounded like a judge's gavel.
When Zhu Yuan turned back around, her usually warm, smiling eyes were gone. In their place was a piercing, stern glare. Her brows knitted together, radiating a quiet storm of anger and deep disappointment.
"Next..." Zhu Yuan's voice was soft, yet it carried the crushing weight of a lead anvil, every syllable striking directly at Belle's chest. "It's your turn, Shop Manager. Please explain clearly what exactly happened here."
Belle's spine turned to ice. It felt as though a thousand tiny needles were pricking the back of her neck, making it impossible to stand still. Those aggressive patrol officers from a minute ago hadn't made her sweat half this much.
Her mind spun into absolute chaos. Zhu Yuan had always been so incredibly kind to her and Wise. She had helped them handle countless headaches and was one of the few genuine friends they trusted in New Eridu. Yet, they had actively hidden their true identities as Proxies from her, burying all the dangerous Hollow-related chaos they were constantly tangled up in. It was textbook deception.
A tidal wave of guilt crashed over Belle. She hadn't expected karma to collect its debts this fast. Just moments ago, outside the lounge, she had been gleefully teasing her brother about deceiving Hoshimi Miyabi and feeling 'guilty.'Now, that exact boomerang had swung back and smacked her right between the eyes. And the blow came from the one person she hated lying to the most.'I should have kept my mouth shut and not teased Wise...' Belle groaned inwardly. Heat rushed to her cheeks, burning furiously as she wished the floorboards of Random Play would just swallow her whole.
Pinned under Zhu Yuan's suffocating gaze, Belle shrank back, her chin dropping to her chest. Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her jacket into tight knots. When she finally managed to speak, her voice was a stammering, mosquito-like squeak.
"Uh... Zhu Yuan, this whole thing... it's, well, a little... complicated... Let me think, where should I even start?"
Watching Belle squirm, Zhu Yuan felt a frustrating mix of anger and helplessness. She took two deliberate steps forward, dragged a wooden chair out from beside the counter, and sat down. Clasping her hands neatly in her lap, she adopted the rigid posture of an interrogator settling in for a very long night.
Her tone remained uncompromising, laced with the chilling detachment of official PubSec protocol.
"It's alright, Shop Manager. We have plenty of time. You can think slowly, and speak slowly." She paused, her sharp gaze pinning Belle in place. "However, I expect you to tell the absolute truth. I will handle this matter impartially, based strictly on the facts you present to me."
Her voice hardened, echoing with an unshakable core of principle. "Even if it is you, Shop Manager... I will not show favoritism."
Belle felt as though she were drowning in an unmatched sea of helplessness, her spirit nearly crushed by the heavy, silent pressure radiating from the PubSec captain.
Creak.
The faint, metallic groan of the heavy iron door leading to the staff lounge pushing open from the inside shattered the suffocating silence. In the quiet video store, the sound was deafening.
Belle's head snapped around so fast her neck popped. Her eyes practically sparkled with the desperate light of a castaway spotting a rescue ship. Her inner voice screamed in joyous relief: 'Brother! You finally came out!'Simultaneously, she made a blood oath to the universe:'From this day forward, I will zip my lips and never mock my brother's karma again!'
Wise stepped out of the dimly lit lounge. His calm eyes immediately found his sister, noting her exaggerated relief mixed with terrified tension, before shifting to meet the intense stares of Zhu Yuan and Qingyi.
He took a slow, steadying breath. Walking over to Belle, he positioned himself firmly at her side, presenting a united front. Then, without a word of defense, he bowed deeply toward the two officers, directing his utmost sincerity at Zhu Yuan.
"I am incredibly sorry, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi," Wise said, his voice low, steady, and laden with genuine regret.
"We... never intended to hide our identities from you, nor did we set out to deliberately deceive you. It's just... there are a massive number of moving parts involved. The situation is incredibly complex, and we found ourselves bound by unavoidable difficulties."
The moment the apology left his lips, before Zhu Yuan could even formulate a response, a small, round, mechanical figure waddled hurriedly out of the lounge. It was Little 6, the Bangboo responsible for operating the secure doors inside the back room.
The little Bangboo carefully held up a portable comm-device in its stubby metallic hands. A second later, a clear, familiar female voice—tinged with the slight static of an encrypted frequency—broadcasted through the speaker, slicing right through the room's heavy tension.
"Long time no see, Zhu Yuan. It is me, Hoshimi Miyabi."
The sudden broadcast caught both PubSec officers off guard. The razor-sharp edge in Zhu Yuan's eyes melted into genuine surprise. She clearly hadn't anticipated hearing the Chief of Section 6 over a civilian comm-link in a local video store.
On the other end of the line, Miyabi had zero interest in exchanging pleasantries. Her tone was measured, strictly organized, and cut straight to the core of the issue. "Regarding Wise and Belle's current predicament, please allow me to briefly clarify the situation."
With military precision, Miyabi outlined the sprawling, shadowed truths buried beneath the Vision Corporation scandal. She detailed the violent ambush and kidnapping of the key witness, Perlman, out in the lawless Outer Ring. Finally, she explicitly clarified the critical role Wise and Belle had played as Proxies, reluctantly pulled into the chaotic crossfire.
She highlighted the siblings' firm stance, detailing how they had risked their lives to fend off unknown mercenaries in a desperate bid to secure the witness.
Miyabi's narration was entirely objective, stripped of any exaggerated personal emotion. Yet, it was precisely that cold, factual delivery that made her testimony absolutely bulletproof.
When Miyabi finally concluded her report, Qingyi, who had been standing quietly by the door, gave a slow, thoughtful nod. Tapping her chin, the android officer habitually processed the vast amount of data, summarizing it in her uniquely rhythmic, poetic cadence.
"Vision's case hides truths unseen, vile shadows in the dark convene. Outer Ring fought tooth and nail, yet Perlman's capture tips the scale... Is that an accurate assessment?"
Her neat, rhyming summary not only perfectly encapsulated the core of Miyabi's extensive briefing, but the sheer absurdity of the poetic delivery forced the suffocating tension in the room to break.
Belle's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping slightly. "That's... that's so incredibly accurate! And..." She struggled to find the right words to describe the bizarre tonal shift.
From the communicator, Miyabi's voice chimed back in, carrying a rare, almost impressed undertone. "...So rhythmic."
That tiny, unexpected exchange acted as a pressure valve, significantly easing the solemn atmosphere. Clearing her throat, Miyabi steered the conversation back to its formal tracks.
"In short, that is the general sequence of events. Zhu Yuan, I have fought on the front lines alongside Wise and Belle. I completely trust their character, their capabilities, and their stance in this matter."
", knowing your keen judgment, I suspect you have already come to your own conclusions. We still have a mountain of follow-up tasks regarding the Hollow incident and tracking Perlman's current coordinates, so I will end the transmission here."
Without waiting for Zhu Yuan to offer a goodbye, the encrypted signal cut out. A flat busy tone echoed from the Bangboo's device, leaving the room in a stunned, yet far more relaxed, silence.
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