Chapter 19: Unveiling Suspicions

After seeing Fran home, Yuli returned to the mansion alone.

As she approached the main entrance, she noticed a dark-haired man standing there, a look of helplessness on his face. He stood with his arms crossed, evidently waiting for her, and a hint of suppressed anger could be discerned in his features.

“Yuli, sis…”

A trace of vexation laced Lyon’s otherwise calm voice as he questioned her. “Where have you been?”

“Oh…” Yuli turned awkwardly, brushing past Lyon as she headed directly into the mansion.

Behind her, Lyon rolled his eyes in exasperation, then quickly followed.

“I…” Yuli pondered her words as she walked. She knew that simply saying nothing wouldn’t appease Lyon, but finding an excuse was proving to be…

Quite difficult.

“I… I just went out for a stroll by myself. I wasn’t doing anything particular. Is something the matter?”

Yuli turned, deftly tossing the conversation back to Lyon. He paused, about to launch into a report, but quickly caught himself and redirected the topic.

“Station Chief Yuli!” He stepped forward, standing directly before her, his gaze intense. “You must understand this! You are no longer a tank soldier; you are the Station Chief of the Purburg Station of the Imperial Army Intelligence Agency!” he exclaimed, his tone a mix of frustration and exasperation.

“I…” Yuli’s brow furrowed, a hint of indignation coloring her expression. She had never wanted to be some damn official in the Army Intelligence Agency. What was wrong with being a tank soldier? Charging bravely for the Empire on the front lines was far more glorious than dabbling in petty schemes here.

“I merely went for a walk. Besides, we’ve only just arrived, and the Purburg Station doesn’t have much work right now. If I stay cooped up in this mansion all day doing nothing, I… I’ll go stir-crazy.”

“Then at the very least, you should have informed me! And you should always have someone with you! How can you just wander the streets of Purburg alone?” Lyon’s agitation grew. He shook his head, gritting his teeth as he laid down his demands to his superior.

“No, absolutely not. From now on, whenever you go out, you must have at least one or two people accompanying you for your safety. Ideally, you should also take the special vehicle provided by the station.”

Having people follow her, and taking a car…

Yuli averted her gaze, feeling a pang of awkwardness. How could she possibly agree? She still needed to see Fran. If people were trailing them during their precious moments together, it would not only be incredibly embarrassing but would also completely ruin the atmosphere.

Moreover, Yuli disliked riding in cars. Accustomed to the heavily armored confines of a tank, she always felt a sense of unease in a vehicle with a mere shell of thin metal.

Walking was far more comfortable. Besides, if she were on a date with Fran, it would be impossible to stay in a car the entire time. That simply wasn’t how dates worked.

In short, driven by her own girlish whims, Yuli remained unwilling to back down. Believing she could simply appease Lyon, she casually replied, “Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for your concern, Deputy Station Chief Lyon.”

“Hmph!” Seeing her lackadaisical attitude, Lyon’s temper flared. He grabbed Yuli’s sleeve as she tried to walk away. Startled, Yuli shook his hand off, frowning in annoyance. “What are you doing, Lyon?”

“We are operatives in a covert war, agents! Do you understand?” Lyon, having thrown caution to the wind, bellowed at Yuli.

“Not to mention, Yuli, sis, you’re so beautiful and distinctive! If you keep going in and out by yourself every day, and one of Francis’s anti-imperial enemies targets you, then just wait for trouble to strike!”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Yuli, sis. Anti-imperial organizations and guerrillas have already emerged near Purburg. If anything were to happen, I’m afraid no one at Purburg Station would be able to bear responsibility to your father!”

Having finished his tirade, Lyon reached up to wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

“Ah…”

Yuli listened to Lyon’s words, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

‘Anti-imperial forces… they’ve already appeared?’

She frowned. Lyon’s words had indeed given her pause. It was true… the risk of her current actions was far too great. If she were to encounter an attack from anti-imperial guerrillas while walking alone on the streets, it would be incredibly difficult to guarantee her safety.

At that point, not only would she be in danger, but there was also a high probability that Fran, who was with her, might be implicated.

Even if she didn’t take responsibility for her own safety, she still had to for Fran’s sake, or for the numerous staff working both inside and outside the Purburg Station mansion.

She sighed, realizing it wasn’t good for them to just stand there. Taking the now emotional Lyon by the arm, she led him to the sofa. She sat down, pondered for a moment, and then apologized to him.

“I’m sorry, Lyon. I was a bit thoughtless…”

However…

Only after speaking did Yuli remember. Right, she still had plans to meet Fran tomorrow. What was she going to do?

If all else failed…

“How about this: I still have some matters to attend to tomorrow. I’ll pick two people to come with me in a car, and they can keep an eye on me from a distance to ensure my safety. Would that work?”

Hmm…

Lyon’s expression remained stern. Faced with Yuli’s reluctant compromise, he merely turned his head away and stated flatly,

“This is all for your own safety, Station Chief. Moreover, Yuli, sis, you are the Station Chief. I am merely offering a suggestion; whether you accept it or not is up to you…”

Ah, haha…

Yuli offered an awkward laugh, thinking, ‘This subordinate of mine…’

‘He was like this even as a child—a busybody, meticulous. No wonder he became an agent.’

‘If I don’t go along with his ideas, he’ll probably keep nagging me…’

“Alright then, that’s settled. I’m a bit tired, so I’m going to rest now.” Yuli stood up, preparing to leave. However, Lyon suddenly called out to her from behind.

“Wait, Yuli, sis… what exactly did you do today?”

Lyon brought up the question once more. Yuli, exasperated, ran a hand through her hair and impatiently replied, “I went out to have fun, alright?”

“Did you go to see that fellow named Fran again?”

Lyon’s words made Yuli’s brow furrow. Being exposed so abruptly was not a pleasant feeling. Yet, it wasn’t surprising that Lyon had guessed what she’d been up to, especially since… her previous actions had been so obvious.

She knew that further evasions wouldn’t satisfy Lyon. Since she was, after all, the Station Chief, she simply waved a hand and chuckled.

“Yes, I went to see Fran. What about it? With his small arms and legs, could he possibly be an anti-imperial guerrilla?”

“Have you never considered… that fellow disappeared for such a long time, only to suddenly reappear before you and immediately establish so much interaction? Don’t you find that… very strange?”

Lyon’s questioning gaze fell upon Yuli, and she froze.

She began to grasp Lyon’s implication: he suspected Fran had approached her with an ulterior motive.

‘But that… how could that be?’

She considered this for a moment, then decisively shook her head and chuckled.

“Lyon, you truly are a formidable agent. Your mind works so differently from ordinary people. Fran… he merely went back to his hometown. How could such a delicate, innocent young man possibly be a villain? You’re thinking too much.”

“Oh, really?”

Lyon scoffed, then tossed a heavy dossier onto the sofa, pointing at it with a cold sneer.

“Yuli, sis, you’d best not be so careless about people whose backgrounds are unknown.”

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