I Don't Own Avatar or Miraculous.
Chapter Twenty-Three. The Threat.
This was the fourth time that week that he'd searched the city. The city was huge. He had managed to save money to purchase a map of the city. He'd begun to strategically make routes around the city, using his staff to see whether or not Ladybug was transformed and near him. He knew it was an imperfect system, considering Ladybug might not plan on transforming at all in that world, but it was all he had. He planned on doing several sweeps of the city. He would dedicate about three months to searching for her there. If he didn't find her, he planned on leaving the big city and using the remainder of his time scavenging the world to find her.
He climbed out his window after locking his door, getting onto his rooftop and taking off toward the section he planned on searching that night, but not before he checked the area for any signs of the wanted posters. Taking down the posters every other night in the lower and middle ring was tedious and took up a lot of his searching time. Once he did get them down, he would stash them in an alleyway, search the area he designated for the night a second time, before returning to the alley where he hid the posters and using cataclysm on them. Then he would return to the bakery, feed Plagg and get some sleep before working early the next morning. He had divided the city into twelve different sections, four per each ring. The lower rings were the hardest, largest, and most tedious to search, but he searched them. He didn't remove the posters from the outer ring because he wasn't going to put that much effort into a ring of the city that he only would ever need to visit in Cat Noir form.
Plagg complained nightly on the lack of camembert and the excessive amount of work Adrien did every night before bed. Adrien insisted it was necessary. The bakers had gotten used to him going to bed immediately after dinner, though they had found it odd at first. They never bothered him when he was supposedly sleeping. He spent the time in between work and dinner hanging out with little Jeng and talking about whatever book her mother had her reading that day. Just like that, Adrien fell into a simple, yet exhausting routine: wake up, breakfast, work, lunch, work, Jeng, dinner, patrol, sleep. He would also have to stop and save random people from muggers and crooks… mostly in the lower ring. The problem was, people had begun to notice him randomly saving people. The people of the lower ring constantly spoke of the 'Mysterious Cat Spirit.' Adrien knew that would come back to bite him. The Dai Li were sure to notice and start searching the lower ring to find him.
He scampered across a rooftop, coming to the fourth section of the lower ring after collecting all of the posters he could find. He shoved the papers into his hiding spot and prepared to begin the actual search of that section.
"Hello, Chaton." A familiar voice said. Adrien turned around in alarm. Long Feng stood behind him, watching Adrien from the shadows. Adrien grabbed his staff, preparing to attack or flee depending on the situation.
"What do you want?" He growled.
"I'm happy to know your ankle is doing better." Long Feng noted, "I was somewhat offended when you took off last time. I was puzzled on how you did so… but the rumors of the mysterious Cat Noir appearing in the middle ring with a flash of light and the stories of the Cat Spirit protecting the lower ring… well… I've put some pieces together. To be honest, you please me, Chaton. The refugees need a hero. They've lost hope. Having a little bit of hope in the form of a spirit helps. But you are still not under my control, and therefore, a dangerous and unpredictable piece in my game. You are untrustworthy and could turn on me at anytime. I cannot allow that."
"I'm not doing anything wrong, Long Feng. I promise. I just want to be left alone."
"Then tell me, boy, why have you come out dressed as a feline night after night?" Long Feng snarled, "And why did you run away from my offer? If you hadn't resisted and had simply come willingly, I would be more inclined to believe you. In the upper ring, you could have lived peacefully without my interference. You could have protected the refugees and not be stuck in this ring. You could have changed lives."
"I already told you. I don't want to be someone else's mascot. I want to help people my way and make a name for myself… not for someone else. I'm tired of people controlling my life. What you offered was no different. If I denied your offer, then I denied it. Threatening those people and practically kidnapping me is just rude. I wasn't planning on holding a grudge on you for a little bit of persistence. I actually admire a man with dedication, but trying to bring other people into it was crossing a line. That's why I've been avoiding your agents. Not out of stubbornness or rebellion, but because I simply don't feel comfortable working with a man you feels justified in threatening people. Since I left, I have done nothing that would remotely defy you other than remove these silly posters you've put up everywhere with my face on it." Adrien defended. Long Feng frowned.
"You really don't get it, boy. Your very existence outside of my control is defying me. You are an enigma, an anomaly. You are that one variable I can't figure out. A boy who seems to possess the powers of a spirit. A rarity I simply cannot afford to let slip through my fingers." Long Feng said. He made a motion with his hands and several Dai Li appeared around Adrien. Before he could react, two stones slammed onto his wrists, pinning him to the wall. Long Feng approached the struggling teen.
"So, Chaton, I, being a patient man, have decided to give you a final chance, and I'll give you a few days to consider it. You will come to the upper ring and to the King's palace in three days time and come work for me, if you fail to show up, I will search the entirety of this city for you and arrest you for disrupting the peace. As a way to make you reform, I will send you to Lake Laogai. The place does wonders for the King's attendants." Adrien's eyes widened in fear. He knew the term laogai was a Chinese abbreviation for the term Láodòng Gǎizào. It translated to 'Reform through labor.' Adrien really didn't like how that sounded.
He really wished Ladybug were there. She'd know how to handle this guy so he left them alone. She was good at handling media. Always had been. Adrien was… bad with people to be put bluntly. As Adrien, some considered him a little too nice and clueless. As Cat, he was a bit too over the top and random. He personally blamed his fourteen years of isolation from the rest of the world for his social troubles. In this situation, neither being nice nor random would do him much good. There was no way he could go work for a guy who threatened to reform him through labor. On the other hand, they hand managed to corner him in the ring he'd started to call home with no effort at all. No matter how much he objected, insulted, or tried to reason with the mad man, the guy wouldn't leave him alone. Apparently, having destructive powers was far more dangerous than having the power to launch rocks at people. Seriously, compared to the powers the people in this world had, his cataclysm was nothing. Yet he still obviously threatened Long Feng enough for the man to constantly be pursuing him. If Ladybug had been there, she could have gotten him off their back easy, but she wasn't. Now he stood there wondering, what would Ladybug do?
"Look, sir, I don't think I can work for you even if I wanted to. See, I have to return to my father on the winter solstice, no exceptions. I can't stay in the city long enough to do any real good. I'm just here looking for my friend. I promise. I am not here to cause trouble." Adrien calmly tried to explain. Long Feng frowned.
"You seem to think you have a choice in all of this. The truth of the matter is, you are a danger, whether you are inside the walls or outside. If the enemy gets their hands on you, the results will be far worse than my men using you to save the world."
"Oh, so now we are saving the world? From what, exactly? Where are the refugees coming from? What exactly make a man like you the good guy in all of this? And who's to say I'd take 'the enemy's side' over yours anyways? From where I stand, you are the bad guy. You keep on messing with a teen who has repeatedly said he wanted to be left alone to the point where I'm just ticked, you've threatened people, you are making up lies about crimes I didn't commit and posting wanted posters all over the city for me, and you are threatening to reform me through labor when I've literally done nothing wrong. If the enemy is just as bad as you or worse, then I plan on remaining neutral." Long Feng froze, staring at Adrien like he'd said something shocking.
"...you don't know about… you don't know where the refugees come from… you don't know… ha! You know nothing! This is better than I originally thought. Chaton, if you leave these walls, you will find yourself in for a real shock. You will suddenly know why I am so desperate for your help. But I won't say why. It's better to have someone open minded when sending them to the lake. You being completely in the dark about what's going on is as open minded as it gets. Once more, I tell you, you are a true rarity. I had thought since you were born outside the city that you would know, but I was obviously wrong."
"Know about what? What is going on outside these walls? Where are the refugees from? Who exactly are you guys fighting and why do you think you need me so badly?" Adrien demanded. Long Feng just chuckled lowly, shaking his head in a chastising manner.
"Oh, Chaton, you know nothing. It makes me laugh to think you honestly believe that I am the bad guy. No, Chaton, I am not the villain. I am the man protecting this city from the horrors outside of those walls. If you think I am the villain in all of this, you will hate the rest of the world. Without me, this city would fall to the enemy. Without me, panic and fear would run amuck. I keep things safe. I keep this world from falling apart. You don't want to cross me, because I am the only hero this world has left. The only one who does what is necessary to keep this world safe. I doubt you would do what was necessary. Not on your own. You are still a boy after all, but that doesn't matter. I can easily fix that. If you really wish to know what goes on outside those walls, you can try and check for yourself, but my Dai Li will arrest you the minute you try to leave the outermost wall. Or, you can simply ask me, but in trade you'll have to vow to work for me."
"Why even pretend you are giving me a choice? Either I come to you out of my own free will or you'll track me down and make me work for you anyways. Either way, I don't have a say in the matter. You might as well bring me in now." Adrien grumbled. Long Feng shook his head.
"Chaton, honestly, I would prefer you to come out of your own accord. A boy as smart and passionate as you? You wouldn't act the same after Lake Laogai. Sure, you would be much more loyal and obedient, but you right now have flaws. People like to see a person who they can relate to. A person who seems human. I, being the head of the Dai Li, cannot afford such a luxury. One flaw and the world falls apart. You, on the other hand, are not only a boy, but also a powerful and intelligent being who still holds a certain fire inside him. People like that. If I set you to Lake Laogai, you would lose a lot of that. You would still be useful, but people you not care for you as much. But what do you know? You're still a boy. You don't understand the decisions I have to make for this city. Not yet. Three days… or I'll force this on you. I don't want to, and I am trying to be patient about it. Three days should be enough time to quit any job you may have in this ring, pack your belongings and transfer into the upper ring." Long Feng made a motion with his hands and the stone binds keeping him there fell off. He picked up his fallen staff before rubbing his wrists.
"Three days, Chaton, or else." With that, Long Feng and his agents left. Adrien left out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"What a creep." He grumbled, "Him and his stupid agents. I bet alone he wouldn't be strong enough to push me around like that. He's just another coward. Just as bad as Hawkmoth. All that talk about how he's saving the world and the only reason the walls are still up. Well I don't buy it. I might not know what is going on outside the city, but I know what a hero is. A hero doesn't act like that. He doesn't corner kids and he doesn't hide behind a bunch of stronger men and order them around. A hero is a leader or even just an ordinary person who does a simple acts of kindness. It doesn't even have to be for the greater good. It can be something small. There is nothing kind or remotely respectable about him. I don't see why people follow him. Even without my powers, I'd still do my best to help people. Without his agents, he'd be nothing. And all that talk about trying to get me to come for answers about what's outside the walls? Well, joke is on him. Curiosity will not kill this cat!" Adrien grumbled.
He was beyond happy Long Feng didn't realize the source of his powers was the ring on his finger. If the man knew that, something told Adrien he wouldn't live through the night before Log Feng and his men tracked him down to steal it. Since he obviously didn't, Adrien would have to do everything in his power to make sure he didn't figure it out. Plagg was going to have to be much more careful and hide a lot more. He would need to disguise his hair better in civilian for and probably have to transform somewhere not near the bakery or the bakers apartment. He was going to have to be a lot more careful about his nightly patrols. He would have to do some patrols later than others to through the Dai Li off on when he came out. In all, Adrien knew he wasn't going to give in. Not this time. This time he wasn't fighting his father for school or Hawkmoth for a ring. No. This was him fighting for his freedom… and a chance to at least see a glimpse of his Lady one more time. That was a battle he would not lose.
Yeah... so Adrien has no idea there is a war going on outside the city... In the Avatar show, Long Feng takes a lot of precautions to insure people didn't talk about the war inside the city wall to maintain 'culture' or something ridiculous like that. He mostly did this to keep the Earth King from finding out, but it is shown that even people in the lower rings talking openly about seemed to threat Long Feng with Jet. Adrien really has no way of knowing about the war and everyone had always assumed he knew already, so they didn't feel the need to explain the refugees. I felt like I needed to explain that, since this chapter was in Adrien's point of view so I never said that simply, 'Adrien doesn't know about the war.' in this chapter because Adrien wouldn't think that. I hope that clears things up. Anyways! Review and give constructive criticism!