I'm living off a woman in Arknights.

Page 86

After all, judging from their brief previous contact, both of them had a considerable fear of Yun Yi, and normally they would want to stay away from him.

Unexpectedly, Minerva was considering the future management of the apartment, which didn't seem like he was going to leave.

"If it were before, that's exactly what I thought..." An Suo's feelings were complicated, and a conflict flashed in his eyes.

Her fingertips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to play with her chains, but she stopped herself because Hoshiguma was present. "But then, Hoshiguma, you appeared—"

At this moment, the thin man named Li Boli, who was sitting at the front desk, noticed the two people through the glass door, especially An Suo.

He was startled and quickly came around from behind the front desk to help them open the door, interrupting An Suo's unfinished words, "Sister An Suo, you've arrived? Please come in, please come in. What would you like to eat today?"

The struggle in her eyes was immediately replaced by slyness. "Xiao Zhao, I'm not the main character today," she said, looking up at Hoshiguma and pointing at her, concealing her complicated emotions in a smile. "It's this friend~ Just ask her what you want to eat."

The young man called Xiao Zhao subconsciously followed An Suo's instructions. Liu Yiqi put on a smiling face and looked at Hoshiguma, but suddenly met Hoshiguma's chilling golden eyes, which were as sharp as a crosshair. He was so frightened that his knees went weak and he almost fell off his chair on the spot.

After regaining his balance, Xiao Zhao saw Hoshiguma, a fierce-looking, fully armed man with a huge shield gleaming in the light, tall and imposing. His thin, sallow face turned several shades pale.

He glanced cautiously at An Suo beside him. Very well, the eldest sister was watching the show with great interest, laughing heartily.

While this means he definitely won't get any help, it also means that this suddenly appearing dangerous person is unlikely to just casually eliminate him.

Xiao Zhao felt a little relieved. Since it wouldn't kill him, he absolutely couldn't lose the job he had worked so hard to get!

Having quickly made up his mind, he took a deep breath, his legs trembling as he took a few steps back, carefully picked up a blank sheet of menu paper, and then trembled like a sieve as he moved it back.

Looking up at the dangerous figure in front of him, whose backlighting obscured his expression, Xiao Zhao swallowed hard. After preparing himself, he closed his eyes, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and handed the menu to Hoshiguma with trembling hands, shouting as if facing certain death, "What would you like to eat?"

Hoshiguma glanced at the menu silently, her golden eyes still scrutinizing him. She took it without hesitation, glanced at it briefly, and was surprised to find that most of the dishes were from Longmen.

Upon sensing the menu being taken away, Xiao Zhao immediately straightened his back, his face resolute but his gaze rigid, not daring to look at Hoshiguma again.

He saw it the moment he stood up; although she was very tall, the person in front of him was indeed a beautiful woman.

The last time Xiao Zhao accidentally looked directly at the woman who brought them here, he was almost scared to death. He still doesn't dare to look directly at any beautiful woman who looks dangerous, except for Sister Anso and Sister Minerva.

Seeing that he was having fun, An Suo, in a great mood, patted him on the shoulder and jokingly told him to relax, "Don't worry, don't worry, this friend is different from that one, he looks perfectly fine~"

Xiao Zhao smirked, thinking to himself, "I don't believe you for a second."

In short, no matter how much An Suo tried to persuade him, he was determined not to watch it for the sake of his own life.

Hoshiguma frowned slightly, ignoring the brief little scene between the two, and focused on the menu. Studying the menu was also a way to learn about the apartment.

The menu had few dishes, and some were just repeated dishes with different names, but she quickly finished looking through it.

At the same time, Hoshiguma heard Yun Yi's deliberately low, slightly greedy voice in her ear, "Hoshiguma, Hoshiguma, order me two spicy potato pancakes."

Potato pancakes...

Hoshiguma glanced down at the menu. This was a snack, barely considered a main dish, located in the far corner. Yunyi liked this?

She nodded silently, raising her hand to interrupt the two who kept repeating "look" and "don't look," and said, "Two spicy potato pancakes and two servings of salt-baked dumplings with random fillings, please. An Suo, you order your own."

"Then I'll do it the same way as before. Remember to have Lao Liu put in some effort," An Su raised an eyebrow, took the menu from Xing Xiong, and casually handed it back to Xiao Zhao.

"Okay!" Xiao Zhao felt like he had been granted a pardon. He took the menu, memorized the dishes, and then turned around and ran into the small door on the left with a sign that read "No Trespassing" on it.

After everyone left, Hoshiguma turned to look at Anso, who was covering her mouth and chuckling to herself, and steered the conversation back on track, "You just said, so what if I showed up?"

"There are private rooms inside, let's go in and talk." An Su waved his hand, skipped into the restaurant and led the way, his rabbit ears bobbing up and down.

Hoshiguma raised an eyebrow and followed steadily. The two bypassed the front desk, walked through a corridor, and came to a door with a piece of white paper pasted on it that read "Anso*^O^*, Minerva-_-, ConarO_o".

An Suo pushed the door open directly, the hinges turning with a slight creak, and she stepped in first.

Hoshiguma paused briefly in the shadow of the door frame, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim indoor light before following him.

Upon entering the room, Hoshiguma immediately noticed a large, dark brown square table in the center, with a wooden square chair on each of the four sides, the chairs carefully covered with light yellow cushions.

On the right are two beige fabric sofas placed side by side, with a simple glass coffee table in the middle, on which a few sticky notes are scattered.

Apart from this oak forest, there was nothing else, making it appear extremely empty.

"Very clean." Hoshiguma commented briefly, then stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She then asked, "So, what's wrong with my presence?"

"A problem? No, it should be called a surprise." Anso put his hands behind his back, turned around with his toes touching the ground, and faced Hoshiguma directly.

Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate: Chapter 150 Hidden Rope (Putting on a mask of pain): What bad luck!

An Suo's lips curled up, his rabbit ears twitched slightly, and he blinked, giving her a "please, please" look. "Before I answer, could you tell me, Xing Sir, are you and that person on the same side, or are you just cooperating?"

There was nothing to hide. Hoshiguma, who was about to resign, answered bluntly, "It's the team." He then slammed the Hannya to the ground with a thud, his gaze serious. "Alright, stop wasting time. Answer my questions and truthfully explain why you appeared at the human body auction."

“Okay, Officer Xing! No problem, Officer Xing!” An Suo wasn’t intimidated. She raised her head with a serious expression, then smiled playfully. “It’s actually very simple. Last time in the detention center, I was well-fed, warmly dressed, and well-fed, and I didn’t have to worry about safety. I suddenly thought it would be great if I could be recruited. Being an informant wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Hoshiguma's golden eyes flashed with understanding. She tapped the Hannya with her fingertips and immediately said, "If you still have this intention, I can help you apply for a recruitment quota for the Guard Bureau. However, whether you can be recruited depends on your performance."

"No need, no need!"

With a smirk, An Suo raised his hands, waved them, and then put them back behind his back. He analyzed, "The apartment meets all the conditions I desire. You and your group can guarantee the safety of this place. I'm not that capable, so instead of going through the trouble of trying to get a spot that's destined to fail, why don't I just follow you and join you here?"

Upon hearing this, Hoshiguma's brows furrowed immediately, and her expression turned serious. "I understand that you don't want to miss the opportunity for a stable life, but please explain to me clearly why you believe that you are destined not to be successfully recruited?"

In its recruitment and informant-planting activities, the Konoe Bureau has been working hard to create an atmosphere of fairness and justice, where everyone has a chance, from propaganda to execution. This is to avoid missing clues and talents, and to prevent those who are forced to break the law from going down a path of no return.

Then Ansuo's argument that it was doomed to fail seems very strange. At least from Hoshiguma's point of view, she believed that Ansuo was fully qualified to be recruited, let alone an informant with even lower qualifications.

Under Hoshiguma's unwavering and increasingly oppressive gaze, Ansou inwardly shuddered.

Her hands, which were behind her back, unconsciously clenched into fists, and the words she had originally intended to conceal, those that were somewhat suggestive, slipped out without her realizing it: "I... I investigated—"

Hoshiguma's gaze sharpened instantly. "Investigation? Please explain this in detail as well."

You shut up! What are you saying?!

An Suo's pupils dilated in shock, and his expression turned into a bitter look for a moment.

Under Hoshiguma's even more intimidating gaze, she awkwardly laughed and looked away, "Ahaha, I misspoke, I misspoke. How could I possibly be capable of doing any investigation?"

"I just went to the main road and asked some people for information," Anso said, glancing at Hoshiguma discreetly. Seeing that Hoshiguma's expression was calm and his reaction was minimal, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She quickly revealed her information, pleading with Hoshiguma to let her off the hook and not pursue the investigation. "Everyone says that those who are successfully recruited are either extremely strong or have exceptionally high value, or at the very least, they must be non-infected individuals who have turned to the light... Look at me, I don't qualify for any of those things, do I?"

An Suo is an infected person, and one with severe internal organ infection, making him one of the more dangerous living infected individuals.

From a young age, no one was willing to offer her even a job that would at least keep her from starving. She has survived to this day entirely thanks to the petty theft skills she has honed on her own (Friendly reminder: Do not imitate unless in dire straits).

Hoshiguma already knew this when she interrogated Anzo, and in fact, Hoshiguma had the idea of ​​testing Anzo and recruiting her.

At that time, she herself had not yet fully established herself and was extremely busy, so she postponed the plan. Who would have thought that after some time, she would encounter such a situation again.

Hoshiguma sighed inwardly, maintaining the solemnity expected of a police officer. "The information you heard is incorrect. Infected individuals are also included in the recruitment program. The only difference is that the process is relatively complicated, takes half as long, and requires a recommendation from a highly reputable insider."

“If you meet the above conditions, even if you are infected, you can still be recruited.” Hoshiguma looked at the somewhat dazed Anso with certainty. “As long as you are willing to reform and accept a rigorous one-year investigation and submit your true criminal record, I can help you with the review and act as your guarantor—but you must remember that the final decision is not mine.”

Outside the projection, Yun Yi propped her cheek up and tilted her head curiously. How come she remembered that many people in the Lungmen Guard Bureau hated infected people? Could she have remembered wrong again?

Inside the projection, An Suo's smile froze on her face. She took a deep breath, raised her hand to her forehead, and thought, "What the hell? So infected people can be recruited! What about all the trouble I went through for an informant identity with such poor conditions?"

An Suo felt that he had brought this situation upon himself, and it was a perfect example of reaping what he sowed.

Her rabbit ears twitched slightly, and a look of struggle appeared on her face before quickly returning to calm. Her eyes were filled with countless emotions, and she opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped.

Hoshiguma didn't give her time to compose herself, pressing further, "So, do you still want to stay here?"

Her words acted as a catalyst; An Suo immediately composed himself, chuckled softly, and then answered without hesitation, "Of course."

This was the answer she had decided the moment she saw Hoshiguma.

As he spoke, he took a few steps back and plopped down on the sofa, regaining his lively demeanor. He smiled and spread his hands, gesturing, "Please sit down, Mr. Xing. Let's not talk about this anymore. How about you listen to me explain why I appeared at the auction? This is also one of the reasons why I decided to join here."

"Go on," Hoshiguma urged curtly, standing ramrod straight with Hannya, showing no intention of sitting down.

An Suo didn't care, casually crossing his right leg over his left and placing his hands on the sofa armrests.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed against the soft, short-pile fabric of the armrest, her eyes gradually becoming complicated, before she recounted the whole story in detail without reservation.

Rewind to the early morning after An Suo was released from the detention center and thoroughly investigated the intelligence from various channels regarding the Imperial Guard's recruitment and development of informants.

"Hiss—what a hassle, they won't accept infected people! It seems that trying to directly accept their offer of amnesty is not an option." In a dilapidated, empty house, a makeshift stronghold, An Suo huddled on a small patch of ground that had been cleared with great difficulty, wrapped in a thin cloth, frowning and muttering to himself.

She turned over, stretched out her limbs, and lay down, surrounded by scattered papers and various kinds of waste.

"Is becoming an informant the only option?" An Suo complained, looking up at a large, jagged hole in the ceiling.

Volume 2: Fireworks at Dragon Gate: Chapter 151 (Not a must-read) An Suo: I'm still the unlucky one, I'm just an unlucky rabbit :D

Outside the cave is the sky, but there are no stars or moon, only light pollution reflected from other bustling areas of Longmen, hazy and distorted.

Fortunately, on this day when I couldn't find a house to shelter me from the wind and rain, it didn't rain.

After glancing around a few times to make sure there were no dark clouds in the sky, he closed his eyes listlessly.

After my vision went dark, my mind seemed to clear up a bit.

She rummaged through the intelligence she had gathered the day before, searching for a breakthrough. After a moment, she smiled and muttered to herself, "Being an informant is a good card. Having a powerful backer is much better than going it alone, and the probability of an informant being recruited is also higher than being recruited directly. It's worth a try no matter what."

"I have to give it a try..." An Su pursed her lips. This wasn't just self-motivation; it was the truth.

She made a living by stealing for years, living a carefree life, though not exactly glamorous, and always boasted that her skills were superb and that no one could catch her.

The special search team led by the three officers shattered her illusions, easily apprehending her with the stolen goods and sending her to the detention center.

The food in the detention center is delicious, the beds are comfortable, and the people there are very pleasant to talk to.

But none of this shocked her when Lu Yie(r) told her that "hidden abilities are quite ordinary, and the Guard Bureau could catch them if they were serious enough." Her livelihood was now shrouded in a shadow that could never be removed.

She makes a living by stealing other people's things; she doesn't know anything else, and even if she did, no one would want to hire her. She'd get caught if she stole, and she'd starve if she didn't.

How to choose?

An Suo raised his arm to shield his eyes, listening to the "whooshing" wind rushing through the hole and the sound of his blood flowing through his body. His heart gradually calmed down.

...It's okay, now she doesn't only have these two death options, she can also become an informant.

She had just come out of the detention center, and the food that the kind police officers there had given her was all gone from yesterday. Now she needed to decide on her path as an informant.

—After that, should she continue stealing, continue wandering, hone her skills to a valuable level, and then be noticed by the police and developed into a subordinate, or should she actively seek out important clues and use those clues to exchange for the identity of an informant?

The former is safe, but as the ill-gotten gains increase, she may not even have mastered the skills before she is completely ruined and forced to spend a very long time in a detention center or even prison.

The latter is dangerous. Those who dare to violate the law and offend individuals or groups who haven't been taken down by the Guard Bureau are obviously not to be trifled with.

With her petty tricks that wouldn't last long under Inspector Shi, could she really find clues from those people?

Reason and long-standing survival instincts led An Suo to oscillate between prioritizing safety and internal conflict.

Adventure can be quick, but sometimes taking it slow is a form of wisdom, ensuring safety, reliability, and stability.

Moreover, she could surrender herself by accumulating a certain amount of money, which would shorten her time in jail, allow her to gather valuable information from the crowded detention center, and make her a familiar face to the police officers... Who knows, someone might take notice of her abilities?

In addition, she can take on challenging tasks and surrender herself to the authorities regardless of success or failure.

This way, one can hone their skills without having to rely on illicit gains for a living.

In short, as long as you are alive and your mind is still working, you can always solve problems. On the contrary, once you are dead, you really have nothing left.

An Suo's heartbeat slowed and deepened the moment he made up his mind.

She didn't know if her choice was right, but she understood that once she made the decision, only by believing in herself could she put her ideas into action and pull her goal from the sky into her arms.

An Su blinked in the darkness. Tomorrow, I'll fill my stomach first, and then find a challenge to take on.

With her eloquence, she might try to disguise the theft as a magic show—after all, she had no intention of keeping the valuables; it was just practice.

However, you need to find a scapegoat beforehand, so you can get away immediately if you're exposed. The difference in sentencing between being caught red-handed and turning yourself in is huge...

As she half-planned and half-fantasized for herself, a sense of drowsiness gradually surfaced in her mind amidst the sound of the wind, eventually gathering into a vast ocean that slowly rose and submerged her wavering rationality.

Just as An Suo was about to fall into a light sleep (if you dare to die in the slums, you're this, thumbs up.GIF), a strange sound and a series of whispered conversations suddenly drifted on the wind into An Suo's rabbit ears, which were lying on the ground.

Two fluffy purple rabbit ears immediately perked up like antennas, trembling slightly as they turned toward the source of the sound. The silver ring on the right ear trembled slightly, brushing against the hot veins on the dark ear and bringing a moment of coolness.

An Suo grew increasingly calm. She quietly removed the thin cloth covering her body, and tiptoed to the window of the dilapidated house. There was a deep hole in the corner of the wall, which had been corroded by someone and was so deep that it penetrated the ground and connected to the intricate network of pipes in Longmen. It was the best place to escape.

Throughout the entire process, she remained completely silent and concealed her presence, while her ears were perked up, listening intently to gather more information and increase her chances of survival.

"...It's too late!"

"It's alright, there are enough people here, we'll fill the gap... that's fine."

Two deep, resonant male voices rose and fell in An Suo's ear, followed by more cacophony of conversations from the other side of the wind.

"You are crazy!"