"One hundred and twenty-nine million people are cursing you... how is that possible?"
When Leon saw the stubborn expression on the Red-haired Director's face, he actually somewhat believed it at first. Although the director was prone to lying when sober, surely she couldn't be subconsciously messing with him when she was this drunk, right?
However, Leon's trust lasted barely a second before he extinguished it himself.
The Purification Bureau's building was quite large, but compared to nearly 130 million humans, it still seemed overly small. It was preposterous to think it could hold that many people, not just on the fifth or sixth floor of this building, and even if they included the entire police department's area.
*Wasn't it just drunken talk?*
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Grabbing the Red-haired Director's arm and draping it over his neck, Leon simultaneously bent his knee to nudge her on the butt, adjusting her into a position that was easier for carrying. As he carried her upstairs, he coaxed along, saying,
"I'm very good at cursing. If those people curse you, I'll curse them back for you."
"You're lying! You're so honest; how could you possibly curse anyone?"
"I'm not lying to you."
"If you're not lying, then why won't you look into my eyes? Are you afraid I'll see through your lies?"
"Look at me! I don't trust what comes out of your mouth. You enjoy lying; I only trust what your eyes say."
*So in your eyes, am I honest or not?*
Seeing that the Red-haired Director in his arms began to struggle again due to his lack of response, Leon had to open his badge panel, switch to the Silver Level "Elite Performer" badge, then looked at her seriously and said,
"I'm not lying to you. I'm really good at cursing. If that hundred million people upstairs curse you, I'll curse them back."
"Then... then you must promise me... if they curse me, you have to curse them back!"
Staring into Leon's eyes for quite a while, the drunken and bleary-eyed Red-haired Director finally settled down, clutching his clothes as she quietly urged,
"But don't curse too harshly. I was the one who started it. If they curse me... it's justified... I'm just... I'm just... afraid after being cursed for so long to go up there alone..."
Looking at the curled-up and tearful form of the Red-haired Director, Leon couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, vaguely sensing that there might be some truth in her words and not just a drunken rant, as if there really was something upstairs...
*Could there be any danger?*
After standing for a moment on the second floor of the stairway with the Red-haired Director in his arms, Leon hesitantly asked,
"Director, will those people who curse you ever come down?"
The Red-haired Director shook her head, leaning in Leon's arms, her gaze somewhat dazed, as she said,
"They... stay on the fifth or sixth floor, responsible for guarding the top ten... twelve Ant Nests. They won't come down unless someone enters the fifth floor."
After noting down this obscure name and hearing that those 130 million "people" wouldn't be coming down, Leon finally felt slightly relieved. Holding the Red-haired Director cautiously, he exited the stairway, moving almost step by step to enter the conference room where the Taurus Director had visited last time.
After placing the Red-haired Director on the sofa in the conference room, Leon rummaged through the chaotic room, finding a thick cashmere blanket beneath a pile of empty bottles in the corner, covering her with it. Then, picking a sofa cushion from the floor, he brushed off the dust, lifted the Red-haired Director's head, and placed it under.
*Phew... finally took good care of her.*
Looking at the Red-haired Director lying obediently on the sofa cushion without moving, her eyes continually following him, Leon couldn't help but let out a sigh.
One ordinary drunk is troublesome enough, but an incredibly strong and full-of-secrets drunk is twice the hassle. Thankfully, everything ended smoothly; he finally managed to settle her down, which at least repaid a bit of a favor.
"It's late; you should get some rest soon. I'm going downstairs to sleep."
After greeting the increasingly drowsy-eyed Red-haired Director, Leon crouched down to tuck in her blanket before turning to leave.
However, just as he reached the door, he felt a sudden shift in sight. His whole body rose into the air, pulled back to his original spot by a mysterious force.
"Knew you were lying to me~"
Undoing the button on Leon's collar, using her pinky to tug the hair tied around his neck, the woman with a blush of drunkenness on her cheeks smiled smugly. She slightly pulled the hair tied around Leon's neck, bringing his face closer, and slyly blinked her tipsy fox eyes at him.
"You promised to help curse them, but as soon as I'm in bed, you want to run? Dream on!"
*What a pain... should have given her two more bottles, knocking her out before bringing her up...*
Glancing at the red hair hooked around his neck, knowing he probably couldn't break free, Leon could only helplessly continue coaxing,
"It's not that I want to deceive you; it's just too late now, and you're this drunk. I can't just sleep beside you, can I?"
After shifting into the large sofa to create space adequate for someone to lie sideways, the Red-haired Director pulled Leon onto the sofa, smiling as she said,
"It's just lying beside me; nothing's really going to happen. What are you afraid of?"
Ignoring Leon's resistance, she pulled him down, forcibly pinning him on the sofa, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Burrowing her head into Leon's chest, her voice was somewhat muffled as she said,
"Sleep, sleep. I'm really sleepy..."
"Uh... sleeping here is fine. There's another sofa over there; I can move it over..."
"No need, this sofa is wide enough."
"Wide it is, but I turn over a lot in my sleep. What if I fall..."
"I'll hold on to you."
*This is going to kill me...*
Feeling a leg suddenly draped over him and their positions so entwined that he couldn't tell who was in whose arms, Leon's scalp tingled.
It's not that he rejected this sort of thing, but... the combat prowess of the one in his arms was just too overwhelming.
As a normal man, when he was initially dragged down, Leon inevitably had a hint of romantic thoughts. However, when the Red-haired Director started hugging his waist, he clearly heard a crackling sound from his spinal misalignment.
So, the 'killing' here wasn't metaphorical; it was a real threat to his life.
The fleeting, romantic notions that just appeared had now flown straight out of his mind under this solid 'bear hug' of sorts. At this moment, Leon had no other thoughts except to escape from the Red-haired Director's embrace quickly, fearing she might really choke him to death in her drunken state.
"Director, Director! Damn it, loosen up a bit!"
After pushing hard twice without success, and hearing the cracking sound of his bones instead, Leon gritted his teeth. Just about ready to apply more force, he suddenly felt a damp sensation from his chest, and the Red-haired Director in his arms started trembling uncontrollably.