02 - The first step
Leopard Rees took out the thermometer, and immediately found the scale at the end of the mercury column.
"Thirty-seven degrees two...... Edo, is thirty-seven degrees your normal body temperature? Leopard Ris asked.
"What if not?" Edo asked, "And what do you think is the normal body temperature of a dragon?" β
"Well, then you should have ...... The fever has subsided. β
"Oh, by the way, Leopard Reese, I have a question for you." Edo said.
"What?"
"That's the ......," said Edo, who had just finished a few words, and there was no follow-up.
"What, grinding and chirping?" Leopard Rees said impatiently.
"That...... I want to talk about the relationship between the two of us. β
"What do you mean? Are you starting to doubt me again? β
"No, no, no, it's not that! ......β
"And what the hell are you going to say?"
"Leopard Rees...... Isn't that what we call ......? Gay...... Homosexuality? ......β
"Huh?!" Leopard Rees was also surprised by the question Edo asked, "Why would you ask such a thing?" β
"Uh...... I see these things on the internet. There are two boys who have a good time together, like we call brothers, but they are called homosexual...... I'm afraid that one day we'll be labelled like that, and I think it's very uncomfortable, and besides, the two of us, and those people, are just friends, and at most they become brothers or something, and I don't have any intention of doing so! β
"I see!" Leopard Rees sat down in his chair and said to Edo, "I've seen a lot of this phenomenon, after all, it's an online society, what can't happen?" But when it comes to this kind of thing, I feel the same way as yours. I would like to say that I am not a homophobic person...... Well, homosexuality is not legal in the orc world. But you have to understand one thing first, you are right, not all people will accept this kind of thing, we are real orcs, and we all have our own dignity...... Therefore, homosexuality is not allowed to be talked about, whether it is for some entertainment topic or other purposes, because this kind of thing is not only an unproportionate performance, but also causes harm to those who are inexplicably labeled, which is the so-called 'cyber violence'. β
"Oh, I see." Edo nodded in reply.
"By the way, Edo, didn't you come from the portal?" The cheetah asked, "What's the situation over there?" β
"I don't know." Edo just shook his head.
"Huh? Do you know how you got here? β
"Dragons are oviparous." Edo replied, "Of course I came out of my mother's egg." β
"No......" Leopard Ris continued, "and when did you find out about it?" β
"Three-year-old...... Leopard Reese, what are you doing here? β
"That's weird." Leopard Rees counted his fingers and said, "Then I'll do the math, you're fourteen years old like me this year, and the dragon came here ten years ago, so you were four years old at the time." Why can you tell what you already know at the age of three, but ......"
"You're raising the bar too high, aren't you?" "I'm not a computer, so how can I remember so many things?" β
"Okay, okay, I won't delve into it." Leopard Ris walked out of his father's room where Edo was, returned to his room, sat down at his desk, and turned on the computer. At this moment, a flashing letter icon in the upper left corner of the screen caught his attention.
"Someone sent an email, could it be that he ......" Leopard Reis clicked on the icon, the time showed that the email was sent five minutes ago, he opened the email, and only one sentence was written in it:
"I'm free today, you can come to me."
"Great!" Leopard Reese exclaimed happily.
"What's going on?" Edo walked in and asked.
"Edo, it's seven fifty o'clock, you get ready to wash up, we're going to go out!" "Get out?" "Hurry up, we're running out of time!"
"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." He whispered, "What is it that makes you so anxious?" β
Five minutes later, he walked into the room again. Leopard Reese was also fully dressed.
"Do I have the right clothes?" Cheetah asked.
"This sweatshirt looks great!" "Can you really bear to make two holes in it?" said Edo. β
"It's okay, this dress will be given to you." Leopard Rees replied, "Those two holes are on top, you can use your wings to figure it out." β
"Thank you." Edo flicked his wings vigorously, and finally let them out of the hole.
"I'll help you make two holes in the one-piece hat of your clothes, so that your horns will be exposed." Leopard Rees added, "It's uncomfortable to watch your diagonal press against Brie. β
"But, Leopard Reese, if I let my horns and wings be exposed, won't I be easily spotted by the right wing when I go out so far?" Edo asked.
"No way, if you hide your wings and horns in your clothes, you will be discovered, and it will be very inconvenient for you to move."
"What are we going to do today, and we still have to consider the inconvenience of the actors?"
"We're going to a bar called 'Earth Star.'" Leopard Rees said.
"Bars? ...... What are you doing there? β
"I got in touch with a guy who used to work on the right wing, who's a dragon like you, who is now working there, and we're going to find him because he has a certain relationship with the diplomat Kivu, maybe he can give us some clues."
"What, we're tossing around today just to investigate Kivu's death......" said Edo.
"The death of Kivu was the trigger for the 'Axe Stone Project', we must find out who is behind it, now is the time and energy we have the most time and energy to do this, everyone else is busy rebelling against the right wing, if we don't do it sooner, then the crisis will escalate further."
"Where did you find him?"
"I once posted a little post on the Internet, which of course was very risky, so not many people were willing to give evidence, but about a week ago, that person sent me a private message telling me that he was willing to provide some information about Kivu, and that's what it is today."
"But...... That man is a former right-wing after all, can he be trusted? β
"That's why we only did these preparations yesterday, including this." Leopard Rees pulled open the drawer and pulled out a pistol and submachine gun.
"You've got a gun!" Edo was surprised, "Where did you get that?" β
"The orc world is still relatively loose in terms of gun control, as long as you are an adult, you can buy a pistol or submachine gun with only your ID card, as well as ammunition within a reasonable range, but if you want to buy weapons other than these two, you must have a gun license."
"But you ......"
"Except for improper means." Leopard Rees said with a smile.
"What? Have you ever been on the black market? β
"I just bought this submachine gun, and the pistols are left at home by my father, as long as I don't take them and run around the streets." Leopard Rees asked, "Will you use it?" β
"Of course it will, if you don't learn this kind of thing, how can you survive in this situation?"
"That's good." Leopard Rees tossed the pistol to Edor and kept the submachine gun himself.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Edo said dissatisfied.
"You know, we've only known each other for twenty-four hours." Leopard Rees squeezed a mischievous look at Edo and said, "Alright, don't complain, I'll find you a better one later." β
"Forget it, I'm afraid you'll be ...... on the black market someday," said Edo, scratching his hand around his neck.
"Thinking too much." Leopard Rees said, "Let's go! β
"Chief, they came out of the house and boarded a bus...... Ninety-three routes. β
"Be sure to keep up with them...... This matter can only be solved by you personally, I have already done what I should do, listen up, I will not pay attention to you all the time! Lake said.
"Found it!" Another agent in the car looked at the computer and said, "They want to meet a guy named Greenwich." β
"Greenwich?! Isn't that the one who was kicked out of the right? β
"Looks like it's him!"
"Hmph, what is this little rabbit going to do again?"
"Let's drive!"
Half an hour later, the two of them stepped off the bus, and near the stop sign was the "Star of the Earth".
"Are you sure this is it?" Edo asked, looking at the large row of faded LED lights overhead.
"The location he provided is here, and the real scene is more than what he described...... It's a little bit worse. Leopard Rees said.
"Fishing...... It's really tempting us to take the bait! "Are you really sure that when you walk in the door, it must not be a row of rifles that will serve us?" β
"Don't think about it so much, let's get in quickly." "And, Eddo, I suggest you put your gun away, I saw the gun in your pocket several times on the bus, and it almost fell out." β
"Really...... I'll pay attention! β
They pushed open the door and walked in. The whole bar smelled of a disgusting mixture of cigarettes and spirits, and at this time, the bar had not officially opened, and the sudden intrusion of the two was indeed "against the rules", but fortunately they were not here to entertain. Now the place is very quiet, only a few waiters are cleaning, and when they see the two of them coming, they just turn their heads a few times, say something, and go on with their work. The inner hall of the bar, though spacious, was dark, and the pitiful incandescent lamps alone could not provide a decent amount of light.
"The smell alone makes me want to vomit." Edo said.
"I think so." Leopard Rees spotted an army-green pterodactyl standing behind one of the bars, wiping down a few glasses with a towel and neatly arranging them onto the cabinet.
"It should be him." The two of them walked to the bar and tapped lightly on the counter with their hands, but the dragon just glanced back and quickly turned back.
"Both of you should know that minors are not allowed in bars...... Well? β
"Then why don't you add this note to that email?" Leopard Rees asked.
β...... Leopard Reese, it's you?! The dragon also laughed, and he said, "I just replied to the interview under the post, but I didn't expect you to really come!" β
"I'm not going to evaporate from the world." Leopard Rees smiled and said, "By the way, what's your real name?" β
"My name is Altai Greenwich, you can call me Greenwich." The dragon said, "What about you?" β
"My name is Nicolas Leopardis"
Nicolas Leopardis...... It seems that you have brought your companions with you as well. β
"My name is Balk Zaka Edo." Edo took off his coverall.
"Edo...... I think I've heard of this surname, so I think it's somewhere......"
"The Denua area?" Edo asked.
"Yes, it's from the Denua Heights...... Are you from there? β
Edo smiled and nodded.
"There are a lot of dragons over there with the surname Edo." Greenwich said to Leopard Reese, "I really didn't expect that the 'Axe Stone Project' was in full swing, and you would dare to take your dragon companion out of the house, so you wouldn't be afraid of any danger?" β
"This is not the hardest hit area of the encirclement and suppression." Leopard Rees said.
"It's almost ...... too"
"Aren't you a former right-winger?" Edo asked.
"Of course it was, but when Project Axe began, I was not only driven out of the right flank, but I almost lost my life."
"The right wing doesn't like dragons, does it?" He added.
"Uh...... I don't know what they were trying to do, but I managed to get on the right for a while. "Kivu didn't react much when he learned that I was a member of the right, and he still came here often...... Now that he's dead, I feel a little unnatural, he's kind of a good friend of mine, he's not there, and I don't feel like I'm talking about the Big Bang every night like I used to. β
"Back to business, since you want to investigate Kivu's death, then I can contribute somewhat."
"Come with me, I have something for you." Greenwich stepped out of the bar and led the two to the bar's storage room, which was filled with old lockers one after another. Greenwich searched in front of the lockers for more than ten seconds, and finally locked his eyes on a very remote cabinet door. "Found it!" He used the key to open the cabinet, and to the disappointment of the two of them, there was only a small card in the cabinet.
"This is the card?" Leopard Rees took the card and looked at it, it read "Livant Range" - for them, it was the only valuable clue they could find from the card.
"Kivu has mentioned this place many times, and he says he has been there...... It's about a hundred kilometers from the Dragon's Office," said Greenwich, "and I guess he doesn't go there often, but he knows the people there." β
"Is this the clue?" "It looks like we're at an impasse. β
"But the card still works." "We at least know what to do next, right, cheetah?" β
"That's what you said." "Okay, we can get ready to go to the range." β
As they came out of the locker, a waiter walked in through the door and said solemnly, "Guys, there's something going on outside." β
"What's going on?" Greenwich asked.
"Here they are." The employee said.
"It's the right wing, and it looks like they're coming for us." Leopard Rees said.
"I knew they weren't going to give up on me." Edo said.
"It's us." Leopard Rees said.
"No, it should be everyone here!" Greenwich said, "It looks like they've noticed my movements." β
"Hide!" He told the two of them, "What happens next could hurt you defenseless." β
"Who said that?" Leopard Ris flashed the submachine gun in his bag.
"You have ...... It's too late, get hidden! β
"And what do you do?" Edo asked.
"I'll handle it." Greenwich pulled out his pistol and put it under the bar.
The two of them hid at a table not far from the bar. The chairs around that table allow them to be well concealed.
"There's a safe passage in the back, just in case there's an emergency, you guys run there!"
"Got it." Leopard Rees gestured. He looked around, and the rest of the staff were already on standby except for Greenwichβeven though they were all pretending to be cleaning, Leopard Rees could tell. At this moment, the door was pushed open with a squeaky sound, and a group of people also wearing black trench coats walked in from the outside.
"Wow, isn't this AltaΓ―r Greenwich, a former right-winger?" A rough voice said, "What a coincidence to see you here today!" β
"HeheβI've only been away from the Right Wing for two months, and you're missing me so soon?" Greenwich laughed and said, "The bar hasn't opened yet." β
"You still want to be like before, and what you say is confusing." The voice said, "I came here today to have fun, but when I met you, I can do me a favor from you." β
The two poked their heads out from behind their chairsβthe same two men in the group who had beaten Edo half to death yesterday. They saw the leaderβthe orc who was talking to Greenwichβthat he was a brown bear.
"What's the matter?"
The brown bear's voice immediately became serious and muffled, as if the atmosphere around him was not tense enough: "Did a dragon and a cheetah come here just now?" β
"And so it was!" Greenwich thought to himself. The two of them knew that they were talking about themselves, so they shivered and retracted their heads again. Leopard Rees loaded the submachine gun in his hand.
"What dragon?" Greenwich said, "You know, I'm the one in the whole bar." Also, since I was mercilessly kicked out of the right wing by you, I haven't paid attention to these miscellaneous things anymore, and you asked me to arrest people today...... I'm not in charge of this in the first place, so you might as well get someone else to help. β
"Really?" In a sarcastic tone, the brown bear said, "I'm here for you, if you're in trouble, don't keep your mouth shut, of course I can help." β
"I don't even know where the dragon and cheetah you are talking about are sacred, help is avoided, I think you should find someone else."
"Hmph, Greenwich, don't play any tricks on me," said the brown bear, "I advise you to hand them over quickly, or I will turn this place into a slaughterhouse at once!" β
"How long do you want to dwell on?!" Greenwich shouted.
"Entanglement?" The brown bear sneered and said to the agent behind him, "Search me immediately!" β
"You dare?" Greenwich pulled out his pistol.
"Eh, you're feeling weak so soon?" Brown Bear pulled out his gun along with the other agents, "Looks like you're destined to consume my passion." β
"We're here!" Leopard Rees and Edo stood up at the same time.
"Oh, you two little ghosts, you actually threw yourself into the net!" Brown Bear said with a smile.
"We're standing here, what are you going to do?" Leopard Rees winked eyes with Greenwich.
"Arrest them!"
"Don't think about it!!" I don't know who pulled the power switch, and with a "snap", the bar fell into darkness, and after a few seconds, the gunshots began to ring out one after another.
"Greenwich, you go protect those two guys!"
"Understood!" Greenwich felt dark and walked through the gunfire to the two of them.
"Get out of here right now!" Greenwich said, "Before they have concentrated their firepower...... I'll take you away! β
Leopard Rees was just about to change the magazine when a bullet suddenly pierced a glass beside him, shards of glass flew over and slashed his wrists, and he instinctively withdrew his hands - if he moved any further down, his arteries might be gone.
"Oh my God!" Leopard Rees shouted.
"What's wrong, Leopard Reese?" Edo asked.
"It's okay...... Let's go! β
"Come with me!" Greenwich led them to the safe exit. From here, they came to the parking lot behind the bar. It took Greenwich a few seconds to find his car and pushed the two inside.
"I'll drive you back...... No, I'll drop you off at a nearby bus stop, and after you make sure there are no suspicious people nearby, go back quickly, don't stay long. Here's my business card, call me if you guys have anything else. β
"Okay."
Greenwich drove around a few streets and dropped them off at the bus stop, where he stopped and said, "It's easier for the right wing to find me than you, get out of here...... Before they found out about us! β
"Do you want to go back?" Leopard Rees asked.
"No, I have something to do." Greenwich closed the door, dialed the Bluetooth number, and quickly left.
"It was so dangerous." Edo said on the bus.
"We're just taking the first steps now......," Leopard Ris said, "and we're going to be careful...... In the days that followed, maybe the two of us, or the enemies who wanted to hunt us down...... To put it simply, one of the parties will not survive the Axe Stone Project for more than five minutes. β