Chapter 1394: Driving me crazy

[Homeland Security]

"Ahhh..." Mint stretched her arms and spine in her seat, sighing in relief. "Oh, wow... I can hear my spine cracking."

Just then, Benjamin peeked his head through the door, watching her with mild horror. His face twisted as she started making strange noises that just didn’t sound right.

"Wow, that’s satisfying," she said before noticing him. "Oh, cousin~! What are you doing there?"

Benjamin pushed the door open, eyeing her with slight disgust. "Mint, why are you making those weird noises?"

"I was cracking my spine," she explained matter-of-factly. "And it feels amazing after sitting in this chair for two days straight! I mean, not two days straight but two days in this office."

"Two days? Are you working on another complicated case again?"

Mint blinked. "Benjamin, do you think I’m an intern in this agency?" She proudly pointed at herself. "I am the head of this place! Of course, I handle complicated cases! Wahaha!"

"But still... two days in this office?" Benjamin instinctively took a step back, even though they were already a good distance apart. "Two days with no shower? What’s the point of having a fancy office if the person in it acts like a hobo?"

"Oh, the tragedy of my life." Mint sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "My innocent, adorable cousin has no idea how this job works. But that’s okay. He’s cute, so I’ll forgive him for his ignorance. His cluelessness is part of his charm."

Benjamin clicked his tongue. "Just get up already! I’m starving!"

"Oh, goodness!" Mint flinched at his sudden outburst. "Benji, why are you shouting at me?"

"Because I’m hungry, and we’re eating together! So go shower, or at least drown yourself in cologne. Seriously, how can you function like this?" He grumbled. "Hurry up!"

"Fine, fine!" Mint shrugged. "I’m heading home today anyway. I want donuts!"

With that, she hopped out of her seat—only to wince as her legs nearly gave out beneath her. She gripped the edge of her desk, making short, pained noises.

"Damn..." she hissed. "I can’t feel my legs after sitting for over sixteen hours."

"Do you even pee?"

"No, I hold it in until my bladder explodes," she mumbled, still rubbing her legs and wiggling her toes to get the blood flowing. "Now that you mention it, I need to go to the bathroom."

Benjamin frowned, but before he could start nagging, Mint recovered. And just like that, she disappeared in an instant, the door swinging in her wake.

"Tsk." Benjamin clicked his tongue. "Even if my boss and Sir Atlas are borderline workaholics, she’s on a whole other level."

But then again, this wasn’t new.

Even before Mint became the head of Homeland Security, she had always been dedicated to her work. Back when she was a police officer, she wouldn’t sleep for days while working on a case. People even said she was a better detective, but one day, she suddenly had a change of heart and aimed for a higher position.

Benjamin never knew the exact reason, aside from the shallow explanation she had given him. But he did know that Mint’s decision to climb the ranks wasn’t out of greed or ambition. She was different—the kind of person who didn’t care about money.

---

Some time later, Benjamin pulled into a fast-food parking lot after getting their order from the drive-thru.

"Look at you." He glanced at the front passenger seat, watching Mint devour her food. "Did you even eat anything in the past two days?! How come you’re eating like your life depends on it?!"

Mint choked, pounding her chest loudly.

Benjamin, however, didn’t even bother handing her water. He knew his cousin too well. After a second, she managed to clear her airways and gulped her food down.

"Oh, God! I thought I was gonna die—haha!" She laughed, taking another bite before side-eyeing him. "Beanie, don’t be mad, okay? Of course, I ate in the past two days! If I didn’t, do you think we’d be talking right now? I’d be in the morgue, and you’re probably arranging my funeral!"

"Goodness." Benjamin clicked his tongue. "Why do you always make things worse?"

"How am I making things worse?"

"Don’t say things like that, even as a joke!" He snapped. "I’m not organizing a funeral for you. So promise me—you won’t ever make me do that!"

Mint stared at him, his frustration written all over his face. After a moment, she sighed and nodded.

"My bad. I’m sorry. That was insensitive." She smiled sheepishly, laughing it off. "I won’t joke about that again."

But Benjamin still frowned.

"And I won’t go overboard with my cases. I’ll take care of myself, shower, and I won’t hold my bladder that long again." She raised a hand to show her sincerity. "Forgive me?"

Benjamin huffed. "If you want to help people, you need to keep yourself healthy first. You can’t save anyone if you’re too weak to stand."

"I know, I know." Mint leaned back, taking another big bite. "It’s just that... hehe. Never mind. My bad."

"Goodness."

"Ice cream?" She grinned, squinting her eyes playfully. "Come on, don’t be mad anymore~! Otherwise, I might keep up this bad habit just because you’re cute when you nag me!"

"You’re hopeless." Benjamin grumbled, crossing his arms while Mint casually pushed some fries toward him.

"Come on... forgive me now~"

Still frowning, he opened his mouth and took a bite.

Mint giggled, turning away—only for her smile to fade slightly as she caught sight of a parked car through the side mirror. She took another bite, forcing a grin before looking back at Benjamin, her expression unchanged.

Once they finished their food and Benjamin calmed down, Mint flashed him a smile.

"Hey, Benj. Can I drive?" She suggested, but Benjamin’s answer was a quick —

"Hell no!" Benjamin frowned at her. "Mint, you are just going home after locking yourself in your office for two days. I’m driving."

"Well." Mint shrugged indifferently and smiled. "If you say so, then okay."

Benjamin huffed sharply as he dusted off his legs before he could start driving home. But then, Mint spoke.

"Hey, something is on your neck." Mint then reached out for his neck, seemingly to take something out. But instead of doing that, she suddenly did a chopping move, knocking him out immediately.

Her face soured as she said, "I’m sorry, Benjie. But I don’t think you’d like to see what’s gonna happen." With that, Mint looked back at the rear windshield, her face twisted sharply. "These bastards... they’re really driving me crazy."