Chapter 556

NO. 138: Brother, are you a police officer?

Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., on the surface merely a rapidly developing new pharmaceutical enterprise.

With unmatched vigor it burst into the Boundary Gate District's pharmaceutical production industry; its development speed was so rapid that many industry insiders found it hard to comprehend, mentioning it only with a 'I'd rather not say' expression.

Or attribute it to the label of 'Transmigrant Group Enterprise'.

After all, it is well known that enterprises built by gathering transmigrants indeed easily create some miracles.

Because they can 'suddenly' recruit talents from all walks of life, and talent is precisely the core of business development.

Rhodes Island Company undoubtedly has many talents, even spanning all walks of life.

But even so, as a nascent enterprise, its rise speed is still very discordant, to the point of appearing prematurely in textbooks and research cases.

Its discord lies in—the Boundary Gate District is not a newly developed area, and there aren't that many opportunities left for a new company.

One could even say that, in the pharmaceutical field, the Holy Terra Federation's medical technology comprehensively surpasses Rhodes Island's.

Even the stubborn ailment that has long plagued that land—ore sickness—has multiple treatment options in this world.

So…

In this world lacking pharmaceutical technological advantage, how did Rhodes Island adapt and rise?

This question remains a matter of much debate to this day, but anyone with clear vision can see that Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company has received the Federation's support.

More precisely—it is the help of the Heart of Terra.

Observing other worlds, it also incorporates this into its learning and evolution considerations; the Heart of Terra has always maintained this standing process and is willing to adjust variables for it.

Thus, Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is not only an organization of another world, but also a port capable of speaking for another world.

Its positioning on the world stage is similar to organizations such as the Clock Tower, Gray Raven Office, and Land of Light Federal Office.

It is an embassy.

Moreover, it is a port for two-world exchange.

It is also the chief executor of a series of cross-border cooperation projects.

That company has long exhibited the phenomenon of 'new employee registration data suddenly completed'; if one investigates the Heaven Gate entry/exit list of the same period, the same names can be found.

—Those are mostly transferred from another world, bearing the duties of officials and agents of that world's major city-states, even nations.

They are settled as Rhodes Island operatives, then consider whether to act in an individual capacity based on actual mission content.

—One result of this path is the Clock Tower Organization known as the Scepter of the King, the Divine Blessing Gospel Group bearing the banner of the Latrellan Notary Office, and the Emerging Security Company of the Kazdell Military Committee in the Demon Realm Area.

By contrast, Penguin Logistics has no long-term heavy mandates.

In its homeland (Terra land), it is merely a small logistics company, purely because the boss and employees moved over out of interest in another world.

Its later growth and expansion were purely to avoid owing a favor to Rhodes Island Company.

The right to explore another world was decided by a conference of several nations and major city-state representatives; Rhodes Island also possesses speaking and voting rights in that conference.

Even one organization holds three votes.

After all, the first people to make contact with another world and return bearing its goodwill were members of Rhodes Island, and Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company itself holds an unusual special position in that world (referring to having dignitaries and nobles of multiple nations aboard its ships, and maintaining friendly cooperative relations with many power holders).

In Aomo's intelligence gathering, Rhodes Island's experience and positioning are like Confucius traveling the states in Dongyan history, speaking reason while not lacking fists.

The manner of driving landships around everywhere is even more like a dangerous mobile warlord.

Thus it can have a seat in the 'World Council', and even directly bring Penguin Logistics across the crossing regulations is not surprising.

Even if Penguin Logistics's background is so 'clean' and ordinary, it does not mean its members can avoid being entangled or swept up by the 'homeland'.

After all, in this logistics team, Angel's older sister is the 'Special Envoy of the Latran Holy See', and Mostima is even more the 'Special Messenger of the Latran Holy See'.

Ke Song, Yu Si actually don't have any particularly unique mission identity; Kong is also merely, as an artist, having a personal pursuit in the development field.

But Texas.

She betrayed the Texas family, even abandoned everything it left in Colombia (Aomo note: the Amé area of the Terra world), yet she, who in Penguin Logistics takes the Texas codename as her own, is Cherenina Texas.

She not only bears the title of the family's last member, but also, while resolving the trouble this title brings, becomes involved with a certain city's development, and then draws a clear line.

She has drawn a clear line with that city's development, but that does not mean she has drawn a clear line with its residents and administrators.

When the mayor of the city named 'New Wolcen' knocks on her door with an embarrassed, hesitant look to ask for help, she merely gives a light smile and then agrees to the request.

After all…

To let the city, no longer under mafia rule, achieve better development, while learning how to shake off the influence of that land's past, is the shared hope of people like them.

"Leon Trotsky that guy actually came to this world in person? Guys like him can only stay for a day."

Having met up with Aomo and Texas, Lappland and Angel listened to Texas's explanation; after understanding why she's been so busy these past few days, Lappland immediately lost interest in pursuing this matter, instead complaining about the mayor's situation.

While I could understand most of what Aomo said earlier, I'm now wondering where this is coming from.

Fortunately, Texas explained in a low voice: 'In the contract signed between Rhodes Island and the Two Worlds Safety Bureau, there is a restriction on the length of stay of those in power, to avoid trouble.'

Like when you get assassinated in another world and it's hard to assign blame, right?

But it's just a mayor—is it really necessary to limit the stay to as short as a day?

It's not like they're a king, president, emperor, or any other national ruler……

Aomo, who has never seen a division of nations since birth, only having read in history books that regions like Peace and Beauty and Eastern Flame once had their own country names, fell into thought.

He thought that the status of New Wolcen City might be especially unique.

Angel also enthusiastically added, "Moreover, Shiye, that little Leon Trotsky guy mentioned earlier has always been busy," and gave Aomo more info on that young mayor: "Since he went from mayoral candidate to mayor, he's gotten even busier—people who invite him over for vacation can't free up time."

"He'd be better off learning from his ice-cold old man," Lappland's rude remark almost immediately drew a slight frown from Texas, but she continued unconcerned: "His old man had plenty of affairs back then, but he was totally carefree, you know, right, Zaro?"

She said this, lowering her gaze to the shadow at her feet.

"…" The shadow shifted slightly, yet remained silent.

Thus Lappland let out a scoff.

Angel didn't bother with those two master-servant interactions; she merely poked her head out the window, watching the few aliens still struggling but being escorted away by the police in earnest, then turned back to look at Aomo:

"Those people were really knocked out by you?"

She still didn't believe the simple report in the group, so the child who was still lost in thought looked up at her, and in his raised hand, an iron claw that encased his small hand appeared.

"Don't you feel it's heavy?" the Ability Angel leaned in to observe, no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a lump of pure iron.

Lindun looked like just a child, a little boy who finds it hard to lift two catties.

The sight of him holding a Pocky stick deepened the impression.

"I don't feel it," the iron claw turned into black smoke and dissipated, the little boy continued poking at the air, "I think you misunderstand my current state. Although I've returned to this youthful appearance, the foundation of my regression is my original form, not my 13-year-old self."

Even at 13, he wouldn't have a crescent lock of hair on his forehead; now, besides looking like a child and having a somewhat unstable mindset, his logical thinking and physical fitness are nothing like a child's.

At least not like children his age.

"In your world, my power's counterpart should be a Sakaz child."

"But there are many weak races in Sakaz," the Ability Angel pointed out the cognitive bias.

"... then Waifan." Aomo continued poking at the screen without looking up.

"That's right," the Ability Angel happily raised his hand and patted his head, "You've done your homework thoroughly, Little Aomo."

Aomo silently gazed at the hand that had just patted his head, then turned back to look at his own small hand, on which a faint iron claw appeared, and then looked toward the Ability Angel.

"Uh... you wouldn't really use that thing against me, would you?" Even if the Red-haired Angel's nerves were thick, he could still react.

"The premise is that there won't be a next time."

Aomo glanced at the passenger seat beside him, where Texas had just taken the tablet handed over by the police through the window, seeming to hesitate over how to write the statement.

So he spoke:

"Texas."

"?"

The wolf woman raised her eyes in doubt, then saw the boy reach out his hand: "Give it to me."

"Huh? A kid wouldn't—" "Yeah."

Still by the car window, the police officer who obviously didn't know Aomo still wanted to remind him, but Texas had already passed the tablet over.

So he could only go from the driver's side window to the passenger side window, earnestly saying: "Kid, you don't need to fill this out; even if you've learned a few tricks, you don't have to take on this job—you should still be in middle school, this isn't writing an essay..."

As he spoke, seeing the boy's swift finger movements and the rapidly forming text on the tablet, he was stunned again—not because of the Bade language finger technique, but because of the extremely formulaic concise statement.

Concise yet with a beginning and an end, after writing the facts he added a few brief motives, and when he handed it over, the recipient inevitably gave him a strange look.

"Please."

"... Okay, thanks for cooperating."

The habitual formal words slipped out, he again confirmed the text on the tablet and its saved condition, then looked toward the child.

"Are you Aomo Lindun?"

If you ask how he knows, the statement wrote out his and Texas's full names.

Penguin Logistics' codename only applies to how they address each other during work, but the statement obviously needs to be registered under their real names.

"Yes, and please keep this appearance of mine confidential."

"..." the officer looked at Aomo, then slightly shifted his gaze to the unsmiling Texas in the driver's seat, the temporarily quiet Ability Angel in the back seat, and Lapland, whose eyes always seemed a bit contemptuous, then nodded as if understanding something, "No problem, but could you sign your name?"

"Does the statement still need an extra signature?" Aomo was somewhat surprised.

"No." the officer rummaged in his clothing pocket for a moment and actually produced a postcard whose cover bore a photo of Manchester Chazuo about to enter the gate.

"Sign here! I really like the running of Miss Manchester Chazuo, as well as your posture when fighting criminals!"

(End of chapter)