"Everyone has secrets, some will lose their lives because of them, some live for them."
"And our job is to deliver secrets into the hands of those who need them."
"Natural disasters don't matter either; only delivery itself is the sole standard."
—Penguin Logistics Motto
Penguin Logistics is said to be an underground logistics organization; what differentiates it from other logistics is that it can transport any kind of goods. Including the lions of Lungmen. And they will absolutely arrive punctually and safely.
Although the advertisements say so, it is also said that there are goods that never arrived—they disappeared along with the client. This is a gamble, right? After all, under the current state of martial law, only this company's logistics service is still operating. However, for such a mysterious and powerful Lungmen gray organization, the mood of the current operations team is not exactly wonderful.
To be precise, starting from several months ago, the mood of these people hasn't been very good. Not only because of the increasingly numerous and dangerous commissions, but also because some potential conflicts have arisen among them internally.
"Hey, I say, Texas..."
"Hm?"
Flipping through the documents at hand, Texas replied distractedly, holding a chocolate stick in her mouth.
"Exusiai, what's wrong? Did you notice something?"
"Actually, I've always wanted to ask... are you taking drugs?"
"Pfft! Wh-why would you say that?!"
"Because, look."
Pointing at the chocolate residue on the corner of Texas's mouth, Exusiai said with a straight face:
"Dogs can't eat chocolate; for dogs, chocolate is poison. And Texas, you're a Lupo, right? So I heard people asking if you were taking drugs or something..."
"Lupo are Lupo, dogs are dogs, how can they be confused... Was it that Prophet who told you this nonsense again?"
"Although he did say it, I was also very curious myself."
"Is that so? You seem to pay a lot of attention to his words then."
"Ahaha, we're both from Laterano, so it's natural to help each other out when we're outside, don't mind it, don't mind it."
"No, I mean why do you trust him so much."
"Eh? Is something wrong?"
"So you... No, it's nothing."
"Texas is so strange~ But that's just how you are, so I'll forgive you."
Rubbing her head and smiling embarrassedly, Exusiai continued humming a tune while wiping the firearm in her hands, looking very focused.
It seemed like she completely failed to grasp the meaning behind Texas's words.
Or perhaps, she understood, but didn't care?
Compared to not understanding, this answer is even more annoying...
Texas looked at her partner, who was smiling but avoiding the topic, couldn't help but turn her head away and sigh deeply.
Having worked together for so long, Texas naturally knew what could be said and what couldn't. If saying it would damage their relationship and yield no results, then it's better not to say it. Because judging from her usual behavior, it was clear that this Prophet was definitely someone special to Exusiai.
But what disgusted her was that she also knew who the Prophet was, and had met the man.
In Texas's eyes, that person was nothing more than a shallow fraud.
Not for any other reason, but because she was the first one to meet the Prophet.
About four months ago, she had discovered this so-called Prophet near the streets of Lungmen.
The Prophet seen through Texas's eyes at that time was just a weak and utterly bewildered man. Wandering the streets of Lungmen, walking like a zombie. When he saw her, for some unknown reason, he came up to ask where this place was and what era it was.
Texas did not answer, simply moving aside from this mentally disturbed man. At the time, she didn't pay it much mind, but now she regretted it.
Because this person had actually latched onto Exusiai.
Perhaps because he violated some administrative regulations, the man claiming amnesia was thrown out of Lungmen, tossed into the wilderness. Then, three months ago, he somehow stopped Exusiai's vehicle by the roadside, clung onto the unkempt Exusiai and wouldn't let go, and said something like 'WA2000 save me', that he swore to join Griffin Security Company, and so on and so forth.
Then, after finally struggling free from the entanglement, somehow he started chatting with Exusiai about religion, and then with just a few words, he gained her trust, and is now living in Exusiai's rented place in Lungmen, doing nothing all day.
Texas didn't know what happened between them, nor did she know what exactly they talked about that night. All she knew was that after chatting for a whole night, the next day, Exusiai happily patted the suspicious man's shoulder and said this was her friend. She even intended to pull him into Penguin Logistics, to live together in the dormitory, but he himself refused.
However, Exusiai wasn't resigned to it. Even under the joint opposition of Sora, herself (Texas), and other members, she still insisted on letting him live in her own rented apartment.
Other people had more or less mentioned this during missions, but Exusiai just laughed it off and dodged the subject.
Why care so much about that person? Incomprehensible.
"..."
Holding the cessation-use chocolate stick in her mouth, Texas squinted at the file, but what lingered in her mind was her companion's recent abnormality.
No matter how you look at it, this Prophet is actually very suspicious.
During several private chats, he had expressed contempt for religious beliefs, a point Texas sharply noticed. His knowledge of firearms was unusually profound; you could tell from how he immediately recognized the firearm Exusiai was carrying on her back at the time, then lunged forward and shouted its name directly, that he was very familiar with the appearance and function of these weapons.
Moreover, his life and thoughts had a certain attitude of their own, an attitude very close to those rigid people living in the Laterano region, yet somehow different. Rather than saying close, it's more like the rigid attitude towards life of other Laterano people is somewhat dogmatic, very strictly adhered to. But that person whom Exusiai called Prophet but who didn't acknowledge it himself gave people a very natural feeling. His code of conduct was very much in line with doctrine, yet it didn't make people feel uncomfortable at all.
He didn't understand Originium Arts well, nor did he quite comprehend the current world, but he knew many strange pieces of knowledge and code words. Sometimes he would often secretly write down some phrases, then frown and ponder.
Is he from another organization? If this continues, Exusiai... she...
Will she leave Penguin Logistics?
"..."
"Going back to eat apple pie today~ apple pie~ apple pie~"
Watching the gleefully humming and gun-wiping Exusiai, Texas made up her mind.
"Exusiai."
"Apple— Hm? What's wrong? Texas? Want to play with my gun? Just don't hurt anyone, okay?"
"I'll come over to your place for dinner today."
Looking at the innocent-faced Exusiai, Texas said in a deep voice:
"I want to come to your place for dinner."
"Eh? You can, but why so sudden?"
"It's been a long time since I last visited, I kind of miss it."
In order to pull her friend out of the fire pit, looking at the bewildered Exusiai, Texas said without blushing or her heart skipping a beat.