Chapter 344: Lion Cub

Lin Zhen clenched his fists.

“We have to catch that bastard ourselves and get the whereabouts of our friends out of him.”

Thump.

Leng Xiaoyu tossed the bare chicken leg bones back onto the plate.

“This isn’t easy.”

“The Security Bureau is full of Shell Clan members. You know the Minority Race Galactic Autonomy Act, right? It’s a galaxy-wide…”

“First off, can an outsider like me from a small city even help you set up this connection?”

“And even if I could…”

A flash of yellow light on her right hand, and the grease on her fingers vanished instantly.

Her slender, fair fingers gently cupped her cheek, opening and closing softly like a flower.

Leng Xiaoyu leaned forward slightly, a playful, intrigued smile on her face as she looked at Lin Zhen and the others.

“Why should I help you?”

“A promise. Within the limits of our principles, I’ll do my best to help you with one task.”

Lin Zhen pointed at himself and his companions, introduced each of them to Leng Xiaoyu in turn, and finally said with conviction:

“We are all superior students at the Academy.”

“This promise is permanent. Its value will only grow over time.”

“Help me with one task?”

“Do you really expect me to trust the integrity of a bunch of ‘hometown people’ I’ve never met who came to me on their own?”

Leng Xiaoyu suddenly threw her head back and burst out laughing. “Hahaha!” Then she slammed the table hard.

The ceramic bowls on the table rattled.

“What if you just run off after you finish?”

The girl’s tone turned ice-cold. Her eyes narrowed, black pupils like a cold pool—clear yet biting.

No matter how you looked at it, the negotiation seemed to have failed at this point.

Maybe worse…

But Lin Zhen’s expression didn’t change at all.

He just kept smiling calmly at the gray-haired girl who was putting on a show of maturity and anger to test him.

He was even laughing inwardly.

Yes—fake maturity, fake anger.

Lin Zhen’s gaze didn’t waver, but his senses domain, nearly developed to 100%, had already “seen” the girl’s right hand hidden behind her back—the palm red from the force of the table slap, the fingers still trembling.

Leng Xiaoyu’s tone and posture really did seem mature, unlike a girl so young.

Most people would probably be intimidated.

No wonder Aili described her as “weird-tempered.”

But Lin Zhen wasn’t fooled.

Because of that unforgettable experience, he had spent the past five years deeply studying performance and psychology, among other subjects.

Combined with the senses domain he had imitated from Xiao Xi, he could say without boasting—

Most people’s performances and disguises were like a transparent sheet of paper before him.

After all, expressions, actions, and tone could all be faked.

But micro-expressions and subconscious muscle movements could not.

So he had already figured it out.

Leng Xiaoyu wasn’t really mature.

She was just a young lion who had hastily inherited a vast territory but lacked the strength to defend it. So she bared her claws and fangs, trying to appear strong and inviolable.

This attitude was only meant to suppress them and keep control firmly in her hands.

In such a situation, the first thing to do was…

Go along, not contradict.

Like petting a cat: when you pet an untamed, bristling stray cat, you have to go with the fur, not against it.

“Doctor Xiaoyu has been offering free clinics weekly for two years to treat ordinary citizens. You are the kindest person we’ve ever met.”

“We may not be that kind, but we deeply respect a doctor as kind as you.”

Lin Zhen said respectfully:

“So we can do one thing for you first, and the promise will still hold.”

“What we want…”

He raised his head, his eyes sincere.

“Is to be friends with Doctor Xiaoyu—not just a one-time transaction.”

“Wow!”

Leng Xiaoyu seemed embarrassed by the sudden, earnest compliment and let out a cute, strange sound.

Then she realized she had lost composure and forced herself to cough lightly.

“Ahem! I’m not that kind. I’m just after a good reputation.”

Despite acting as if she didn’t think herself kind at all, her slightly reddened cheeks and earlobes, and the way her fingers unconsciously pressed the table, gave her away.

She was happy!

So when Aili, Zi Jiu, and Anvil looked at her with that “Really?” expression, Leng Xiaoyu felt a little embarrassed to be seen through, but her tone gradually softened anyway.

“I treat people to save lives. You’re trying to save someone and came to me for help. We’re basically the same, so I’ll reluctantly trust your integrity, okay? Hmph!”

“Tsundere little loli, haughty!”

“So she’s a seemingly mature but actually naive, easily embarrassed foodie loli? Absolutely delicious!”

“BV114514, little loli screaming 24h, you’re welcome.”

“Familiar numbers. I won’t fall for it again.”

“Thank you so much.”

Seeing Leng Xiaoyu relent, Lin Zen immediately pressed his advantage.

“But don’t get too excited yet.”

Leng Xiaoyu waved her hand.

“I do have some connections in the Galactic Security Office, but this pursuit team was sent by the Interstellar Security Office. To get you in, the Galactic Security Office has to contact the higher-ups. It’ll probably take a few days.”

“I don’t know if Chatosi can hold on that long. If he gets caught before then, there’s nothing I can do.”

“A few days?”

Lin Zhen’s brow furrowed instantly.

They didn’t have a few days!

He had already prepared to first fulfill the promise of doing one thing for Leng Xiaoyu. But if that task took time, he had planned to just skip it and find another way.

In that case, why not…

Lin Zhen’s gaze hardened, and he spoke:

“Doctor Xiaoyu, we really can’t wait a few days. How about this: same conditions, but you help us with something else instead?”

“Anything in Luoding City is easy. There’s nothing I can’t do in this two-thousand-square-kilometer area.”

Leng Xiaoyu patted her chest, looking as if she had the world on her shoulders.

“What is it?”

“Help us get past the crab wall! Since we can’t join the pursuit team, we’ll go catch him ourselves in the Dark Swamp…”

Lin Zhen’s face was serious.

But as he spoke, he suddenly noticed—

When Leng Xiaoyu heard “crab wall,” her expression instantly changed. Her pupils contracted sharply.

And when she heard “Dark Swamp,” she didn’t even try to hide it. Her pretty face turned ice-cold.

So he stopped mid-sentence.