"It really likes to run to high places...especially in unfamiliar places." Anna ran her hand through the soft fur on the cat's back. "Thank you for saving it, Hesta."
"You're welcome." Hesta retracted her gaze, "I didn't do it for..."
Before she finished speaking, there was sparse applause around her. Everyone couldn't explain why they were applauding. They just felt that the atmosphere had reached this point and it seemed that there should be a round of applause.
Gobelin quickly clapped his hands several times, walked up to Si Lei and whispered a few words in his ear. Si Lei frowned and said loudly: "Don't gather. Everyone should go back. The relevant personnel will stay."
Li Ge raised his hand, "Well, Officer Si Lei, we still have to go back... If we have any questions, can we talk about it tomorrow morning?"
Gobelin was about to speak to stop him, but Si Lei had already nodded in agreement. He could only stand there and watch the backs of Rico and Hesta as they left.
"But they are the only people present at the scene besides me," Gobelin turned back, "Does it really matter?"
"Hesta is in a special situation. I will ask her alone later." Si Lei glanced at Gobelin and said, "Don't rush back yet. Qianye said she has something to ask you."
Gobelin looked up unconvinced at the several bullet holes he left high up in the hall, but nodded: "...Okay."
…
In the aisle on the fifth deck, Hesta sat on the fire extinguisher cabinet and wiped her sweat to rest.
"I will never be brave again... It would be a mistake not to push the wheelchair out today..."
"I think it's pretty good. Wasn't it quite agile just now?"
"It's not high there, and there are grippers all around—"
Just as Rico was about to make a few more jokes, he suddenly saw the wound on her left hand. The cat scratch started from the wrist joint and crossed the entire back of her hand.
"...Wait, is the arrest so serious?"
"It's nothing. Let's disinfect it first when we go back." Hestad pulled his hand back, "I'll go to the infirmary tomorrow to find the rabies vaccine..."
Rico sighed and hugged Hesta horizontally. Hesta was not expecting this and lost his balance. Only his left hand was tightly grasping Rico's shoulder.
"No, please put me down, my neck will feel uncomfortable..."
"We're only a few steps away. Just make do with it for a while."
"...Since you had the strength, why didn't you carry me back from the beginning?"
"I must be strong. I don't even have time to draw bullets now... Turan told you to walk more. It will be good for your recovery."
Hesta laughed angrily: "She definitely didn't mean a situation like tonight, please hurry up and get me -"
As Hesta started kicking his legs in the air, Rico had to take a few steps in the corridor, and finally put Hesta on the ground at the door of the suite.
The two of them reached for the door card in their pockets in unison, and their eyes swept across the door inadvertently. At this moment, their movements stopped at the same time.
They looked at the door.
"Feeling a little... strange?"
"Well, it seems something is different."
Rico took a half step back.
"Potted plant." She pointed to a Monstera deliciosa placed in the corner of the entrance behind the glass door, "I can't say what's wrong, but..."
"That means...someone has entered our room."
Rico leaned against the wall and listened for a while, "The person is still inside."
"Is it the one who was in the open deck lobby just now...?"
"It doesn't sound like..." Li Ge whispered, "There are two people, one is sitting and the other is pacing... It seems they are still chatting?"
"female?"
"Yeah." Li Ge whispered, "Can't hear what is being said..."
Suddenly, she straightened up, picked up Hesta and ran to the tool room on the other side of the corridor - the two people in the room walked towards the door one after another.
Sure enough, the door to the suite opened from the inside. The two young girls were obviously very alert. They even observed the entrance for a while before going out.
"There is no one." The taller one stretched out his hand behind him, "Come on, hurry up..."
As soon as the two people walked out of the room hand in hand, there were two more people in the corridor that was empty just now. They were Rico with a ferocious expression and Hesta with a tired look.
The girls' faces suddenly turned pale, and they were about to run back——
"You dare to move and try." Li Ge said coldly.
…
In the room, Rico quickly recognized the person.
"I remember you, you were the one tonight educating us on the dangers of chelates."
"Yes, Agnes...my name is Agnes, and this is my sister Meyer. We are here today because-"
Rico looked directly at the little girl on the side: "Yesterday, I remember that a girl was robbed of the 'Boarding Instructions' by the Thorn Monk, was it you?"
"Yes...it's me." Meyer whispered from the side, "My name is Meyer Szymborska."
"We have something to say to Officer Si Lei." Agnes continued, "It's very important news, and we came here at some risk... We can't delay for too long."
"But Si Lei isn't here at the moment—"
"It should be the same with you, you are all in the same group, right?"
As soon as the words came out, the girl suddenly realized that she seemed to have worded it inappropriately, but Rico nodded, "Yes, we are in the same group."
"Last night, all of us, except for you, have reviewed our respective 'Boarding Instructions'. There are only two versions of the 'Instructions', the two that Si Lei mentioned last night. They seem to be classified by gender. Yes, female passengers get one kind, male passengers get another... Ah, by the way, there is also a message, only after the 'Instructions' for female passengers, there is a message from Albordo Carni."
Agnes spoke quickly, looking down at her watch from time to time.
"My and Meyer's numbers are connected. I don't know if that's the reason, so the messages she and I received look a bit... like a continuous message."
"What are your messages?"
"'If we stop pretending, we don't have to keep feeding fear with hesitation,' that's mine; 'your calm should be as real as your anger,' that's Meyer's."
"...I don't see any logic in this."
"Yes!" Agnes almost stood up, "The more we think about it, the more we feel that these two sentences are a perfect portrayal of the two of us, but we have been wasting here for too long today... We will find a chance to talk again tomorrow. Can we chat?”
"What are you in a hurry for?"
"We were walking back after taking a statement with Officer Si Lei. At this moment, there are people in the restaurant and some on the outdoor deck. No one cares where we are," Meyer whispered, "But after a while, everyone will wait. When everyone goes back, someone might find us doing something else."
"Yes, please help us convey what we just said to Officer Si Lei... We really have to go."
Rico blocked the door with his hand, "One last question, I'll let you go after I answer it."
Both girls were startled.
"How did you two get in?"
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