Following Jeanne's suggestion, Ch'en agreed to let her take the wheel. Ch'en had been running around all night, and while she was confident she wouldn't have a safety issue due to fatigue, driving in such a state would set a poor example if others saw her.
Thus, Jeanne successfully claimed the driver's seat. The moment she sat behind the wheel, she felt a small surge of excitement. After all, this was her first time driving a police vehicle, and it felt remarkably fresh to her.
Jeanne glanced curiously at the extra equipment in front of her but suppressed the urge to fiddle with the buttons, focusing instead on navigating toward their destination: the Lungmen Guard Department.
"By the way, Jeanne, do you have a driver's license?" Ch'en asked curiously, a thought suddenly occurring to her. Living in the Ursus snowfields... there probably wasn't much opportunity for her to take a driving test, right?
"A license? Lemuen mentioned that Laterano seemed to have processed one for me. It was tucked away with a large stack of various documents and identification papers."
Jeanne recalled the envelope Laterano had given her. They had told her it contained a full set of credentials to ensure she had the necessary paperwork to enter any city. Otherwise, how could Jeanne—who was technically an undocumented person in Ursus—have legally passed through official channels to enter the city instead of relying on smuggling routes?
Lungmen's identity checks were relatively relaxed compared to the strict entry points of Ursus, but "relaxed" didn't mean nonexistent; you still had to prove where you came from. Someone without an identity, unrecognized by any faction, would find it incredibly difficult to enter such a city.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of Ursus, the villagers of the snowfields weren't even considered people, so no one had ever bothered to establish a household registration system for such "godforsaken" places.
"But I didn't bring it with me today. I'm not even sure where I put it. Lemuen usually holds onto things like that for me. Should I go back and look for it?"
Jeanne was used to driving in the snowfields, and if Ch'en hadn't reminded her today, she would have forgotten that such a thing as a driver's license even existed. She had also forgotten that even in Terra, driving within a mobile city required proper certification.
"Since we're already on the road, there's no need to make an extra trip. I doubt the traffic police on duty today would pull over my car to check for a license."
Ch'en figured as much. No officer would go out of their way to check her personal vehicle, let alone a marked police car. There was simply no reason to stop for an inspection.
"However, because of yesterday's incident, the LGD has been quite strict about licenses lately. Unless you're a frequent guest like Exusiai, it's generally better to carry it."
Because the motorcycles used by those self-detonating riders yesterday were found to be illegally modified—and had appeared in Lungmen's urban areas several times before—the LGD had ramped up vehicle checks. This led to a situation where those who usually "danced on the edge of the law" while the LGD turned a blind eye were now being processed, causing many unlucky souls to pay hefty fines.
"That's not a problem. You know I'm a law-abiding person! Once I know something clearly violates the law, I absolutely won't do it!"
Looking at Jeanne, who was speaking with such earnestness, Ch'en couldn't help but let a bitter smile cross her face. Jeanne was indeed a law-abiding person as she claimed, but the trouble she managed to get caught up in was quite substantial!
Fortunately, the journey remained peaceful. In fact, other vehicles on the road actively pulled aside to give them room; they didn't even have to wait for a single red light.
"Are Lungmen police so beloved by the people? They're actually clearing the lane for us!" Jeanne was amazed. She hadn't expected the civility of Lungmen citizens to be at this level. What kind of education led to this?
"Maybe... they're afraid I'll turn on the siren and pull them over?" Ch'en guessed, unsure of the answer herself. She had never received this kind of treatment before!
For the surrounding drivers, however, the logic was simpler: the LGD was checking documents strictly lately. They were terrified they might have forgotten something and would be fined if stopped. Better to clear the way and let this LGD officer hurry to the next intersection to check someone else. As long as they didn't have to pay a fine, they'd do anything.
Thus, under Shirayuki's silent protection, they arrived safely at the LGD. While nothing unexpected happened, it was still a testament to Shirayuki's vigilant effort.
"LGD, I'm back again..." Jeanne muttered as she looked at the building. She hadn't expected that the building she'd become most familiar with in Lungmen would be the police station! She felt like she could drive here with her eyes closed.
The way you say that makes it sound like the LGD is your second home! Ch'en thought as she quickly led Jeanne inside. Those who didn't know the specifics assumed Officer Ch'en had simply found another witness. Although, given that the suspects were caught red-handed—including those idiots who were currently in the infirmary after being blasted by gel bombs—they didn't really need a witness.
"Take a look. The people we caught yesterday who were hunting you are all here. Here are their specific files and some of their statements. See if you recognize any of them."
Ch'en placed a thick stack of documents in front of Jeanne. Just looking at the pile made Jeanne feel like her brain was going on strike. She hated dealing with paperwork. While she was literate now, she still couldn't stand formal documentation. She'd much rather act as bait to lure the enemies out and beat them into the ground.
Unfortunately, she hadn't brought the two people who were actually good at this sort of thing with her. She had to struggle through it herself.
Ugh... I should have brought Talulah or Alina. Then I wouldn't have to sit here staring at this. Jeanne wailed internally as she flipped through the files. Whether it was psychological or not, looking at these dry materials made her head throb.
It had to be said, Lungmen's intelligence on those lurking in the shadows was impressive. It showed that even if they didn't "manage" the Lower City, they had plenty of eyes there. Sadly, Jeanne didn't recognize any of them. However, she knew that within these files lay the clues to finding out who was pulling the strings.
The intel revealed something strange: these people came from several completely unrelated gangs that weren't even known to be acquainted.
"That's the problem," Ch'en explained, seeing Jeanne's confusion. "Even though these people belong to the same district, there's no reason for them to know each other! Some of these gangs are actually rivals; they've even had bloody conflicts in the past!"
Ch'en pulled out a few files that Jeanne had set aside and pointed to the photos. "Look, this Feline, Ah Rong, and this Perro, Little Blade, have a blood feud! Ah Rong lost three fingers to Little Blade, and Little Blade lost half an ear to Ah Rong. Yet, they were sitting in the same car, acting in coordination!"