Chapter 2559: Dear Detective Mr. 11

Only after this long, intense deep kiss finally ended.

Before Alrek could come to his senses from this loss of control, Jin Chen pulled back slightly from his lips first.

His cheeks flushed red, his breathing unsteady, the perfect blend of shyness and the dazedness after being moved as he buried his hot cheeks in Alrek's neck crook, nearly pressing against his chest, softly exhaling, faintly panting.

Alrek caught a unique scent drifting from Jin Chen's hair and neck—a warm, personal body odor mixed with the dampness of their recent kiss, swirling around his nostrils.

He instinctively lowered his head slightly, his nose brushing lightly through Jin Chen's hair, his Adam's apple moving uncontrollably.

At that moment, Jin Chen wrapped his arms around his neck.

Immediately, a hoarse, soft laugh sounded in his ear, like the most intimate whisper between lovers.

"Alrek, you're amazing."

Alrek: "……"

Even if Alrek's heart were harder and his will as strong as iron, this frank, alluring praise and the warm body in his arms still shook his composure a little.

He could even feel an uncomfortable heat creeping up his ears.

Damn it.

Alrek even had a thought flash through his mind: he couldn't possibly respond to Cyril's deep affection.

He could only awkwardly return Jin Chen's embrace, feeling embarrassed.

"Well... I mean, I temporarily believe your... explanation. But that's it, Cyril. Don't push your luck."

A pleased smile flickered in Jin Chen's blue eyes buried in his neck.

But when he lifted his head, he still wore that gentle, deep look, as if he had received the world's most important promise.

"I know, Alrek." He whispered, "Just being willing to believe in my feelings for you already makes me very happy."

Alrek had never seen anything like this.

The other person blended fervent love, pure reliance, and mature allure into one, sincere to the point of being beyond doubt.

The lingering warmth of the kiss and his pleasant scent hadn't faded, leaving Alrek feeling the atmosphere so good it made him flustered, even giving rise to an almost guilty feeling.

He gave a dry reply, still wanting to say more, but Jin Chen had already left his embrace.

"Have a good night, Alrek."

Jin Chen gave him a warm, slightly shy smile, as if still immersed in their recent intimacy, and stepped lightly up the stairs, even skipping a bit.

Alrek stood alone by the fireplace, staring at the empty stairway; after a moment, he raised a hand, somewhat irritably rubbing his brow, and downed the remaining wine in his cup.

【Detected villain triggering Heartbeat Value, Heartbeat Value +10, total 10!】

——

Several hours later, deep night.

Beya'er City—right now it was at its most bustling and frenzied.

The whole city was suffused with a decadent, cloying scent.

Alrek appeared at the entrance of a operating high-class brothel; anyone familiar with the place knew it was more than just a brothel, as evidenced by the heavy defenses at the door.

He wore a tailcoat-like formal suit, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with a signature red boutonniere.

Arrogant, sharp, cold—oppressive.

Now he was no longer Detective Alrek, but the Scarlet Gentleman who made the citizens of crime-ridden Beya'er City tremble at the mere mention of his name.

Alrek was about to step through the door filled with decadent sounds when a man obviously high on drugs, his eyes glazed, staggered in front of him, shaking a small packet, trying to force a buy-sell deal while muttering incoherent vulgarities.

Not far away, at the mouth of a dark alley, a tall figure was wrapped in a large black cloak.

Jin Chen watched the scene leisurely, remarking, "Alrek doesn't like this kind of filth."

Indeed, in the next instant, that man's hand was brutally broken, and he writhed in pain, screaming.

Alrek stepped inside, his black leather shoe pressing on the corpse.

The guard at the door recognized him, dared not block him, and lowered his head in respect.

Jin Chen didn't immediately follow, 【Detected?】

【Amazing!】 Ling Gun Gun clicked his tongue in wonder, 【Obviously it's the same person, no split personality, yet day and night he's like two different people!】

【If Host, you still maintain the gentle, pitiful little white flower persona, you probably wouldn't even get a chance to approach nighttime Alrek, and would just be ignored…】

It thought about Alrek's earlier action of stepping on a person, 【Or be kicked away.】

Ling Gun Gun suddenly realized, feeling he was one step closer to being a master of emotions.

Jin Chen observed the flow of people entering and exiting the brothel; every admitted guest would show the guard a metal token engraved with a special pattern.

Jin Chen picked an unlucky guy at the intersection, brushed past him, then stepped out from the shadows, lowered his hood to cover most of his face, walked toward the main gate, and handed the token to the guard.

The guard inspected the token, found nothing suspicious, and respectfully stepped aside to let him pass; no one doubted Jin Chen's attire.

——

Alrek walked straight through the brothel's noisy lobby, where laughter and more ambiguous sounds blended into a dizzying, murky atmosphere.

He went straight up the stairs to the third floor, the wooden steps creaking under his feet.

The third floor was much quieter; at the end of the corridor stood an inconspicuous small counter, behind which sat a burly man with a thick beard, wiping a glass cup in the dim light.

"Luo Ke."

Alrek approached the counter.

The bearded man heard his voice, looked up, and broke into a delighted smile, the creases at the corners of his eyes bunching together.

He quickly corrected himself, "Our Scarlet Gentleman, long time no see!"

Luo Ke said, tapping his fingers rhythmically a few times on the countertop, like a signal.

Soon, two men walked out from the nearby lounge: one slender with sharp eyes, the other more silent and steady.

They were old acquaintances of Alrek in Beya'er City.

(No line 60 provided; the last line is 59.)

A'erruike pulled open a high-backed chair in front of the counter and sat down, his body slightly relaxing.

Luoke handed him a hand-rolled cigarette.

A'erruike took it, brought it close to his nose to sniff, raised his eyes, and asked, "Is there anything unclean in this?"

"Of course not, Keluofute," Luoke shrugged his broad shoulders, his tone certain, "We know you, you never touch opium."

The thin man beside him also nodded.

Only then did A'erruike clamp the cigarette between his lips, and Luoke came over to light it for him.

He took a puff, the spicy tobacco smoke surged into his lungs, and he relaxed a bit.