For Lin Yun, the uninvited arrival of this person was almost becoming unsurprising.
Not to mention that this person had previously taken it upon himself to come to the Abnormal Strategy Bureau to ask for help, but even in normal times, when challenging Emerald Sparrow to a duel, he often appeared abruptly while Emerald Sparrow was dealing with Remnant Beasts.
In his own words, he neither had a mobile phone nor any contact details, and the best way to find Emerald Sparrow was to stake out the Remnant Beasts. Although it sounded reasonable, it still seemed a bit odd.
No one would think it was fun to have an enemy appear in front of them all the time.
"May I ask what brings you here?"
Thus, Lin Yun found it hard to put on a friendly face and could only maintain the bare minimum of politeness out of basic respect: "I don't think we're familiar enough to need to exchange holiday greetings."
Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu had just left the Director's Office, giving him the mindset to put on an act here. Obviously, his time was limited as his daughter wouldn't take long to return from the restroom.
He couldn't figure out the visitor's intention but was already thinking at full speed about how to send this person away, let alone prevent any contact with Lin Xiaolu.
"It's a festive season; don't be so stern."
However, Yun clearly didn't care about Lin Yun's attitude, just walked in, carelessly sat down in front of the desk, and then placed what he had been carrying on the table: "Look, I brought you a gift, consider it a New Year's greeting from me to your bureau."
Lin Yun obviously didn't believe the visitor's words but still glanced at the items placed on the desk out of safety concerns.
—It was a bottle of white liquor with "Qingting River" and "20 Years" among other words labeled on it. Next to the white liquor was a bag of dark earth-colored stuff with a logo that read "Delicious Duck Neck," seeming to be some kind of marinated snack.
He naturally recognized these two items.
The former was the best-selling local white liquor of Fangting City, a regular guest at dining tables, and Lin Yun himself had drunk it quite often at social events; the latter was the name of a popular marinated snack shop near the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, which Lin Yun had noticed on the street corner on his way to work that morning. Despite the end of the year approaching, it was still open and doing thriving business.
Although he recognized the items, their appearance in the hands of a "Claw Mark" Magical Girl and being referred to as "gifts" was somewhat confusing.
"What do you mean by this?" So he directly asked.
"Literally, celebrating the new year, I brought a bottle of wine and some snacks."
Yun narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Have a drink with me, Director Lin, it took all the savings I had for this spread."
"...Why?" Lin Yun was puzzled.
"What do you mean why? It's the holiday season, and here I am alone in a foreign place, just looking for a familiar face to chat with."
As he spoke, Yun reached for the bottle cap and easily opened it with a flick of his palm: "Got any cups?"
"Why come to me?" Lin Yun remained unmoved.
"Because I don't know anyone else... All the workers at the site have gone home, and I've never managed to get Cornflower's contact details."
Yun looked somewhat distressed as he cocked his head: "After thinking it over, the only person I know, and generally know where to find, is you, and Director Lin, you've looked out for me before, so consider this bottle a return of the favor..."
"What about your companion?" Lin Yun was not buying her act.
"Companion? Ah, you mean Semi... That guy is a Fairy."
Yun looked at Lin Yun as if he were crazy: "No one would go drink with a Fairy, right? There's no fun in that."
"Normally, a fugitive wouldn't come to the Abnormal Strategy Bureau to drink either."
Lin Yun sighed: "Aren't you afraid that I could call someone to arrest you now?"
"Before you could call someone, I could already take you hostage, Director."
Yun's smile was sly: "I think a clever man like you wouldn't engage in futile actions."
Lin Yun couldn't argue.
In all of Fangting City, no one understood Yun's power better than him. In their first encounter and the subsequent few sparrings, his exhibited combat skills were terrifyingly proficient.
Never mind his current status as a civilian; even if he were to become Emerald Sparrow, he doubted he could win against this nonchalant individual in a one-on-one fight.
"You specifically picked New Year's Eve, ran to the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, and even sneaked into the Director's Office undetected, just to drink with me?"
But even so, he still couldn't understand the visitor's logic: "Am I supposed to believe that you really had nothing better to do?"
With a gesture, inky metallic liquid transformed into two hook claws, pulling out two tea cups from a nearby cabinet. Yun slapped the cups onto the desk and pushed one towards Lin Yun: "Of course, if you're willing to chat more, perhaps I might have other things to tell you."
Lin Yun glanced at the tea cup in front of him, his hand still motionless, continuing to inquire: "Other things?"
"Drink first, talk later."
Yun stood up, moved a bit closer to Lin Yun, poured the white liquor into the tea cup amidst the pungent aroma of alcohol, and leaned forward: "If you're concerned, feel free to test this bottle with any method you can. Nothing's been added; it's just liquor."