"It seems that your girlfriend abandoned you, Mr. Prosecutor," Mundo said with a sneer.

It was true, Franziska was gone. She had evaded capture from all the guards, it seemed the self-defense techniques Qilin taught her hadn't failed her.

The same guards that tossed Liuxang into the car restrained Shi Long.

"Normally I would have let you go and hunted you," Mundo said conversationally as he pressed Shi Long's face with one hand. "But I have more important things to do."

"You're the ringleader?" Shi Long said enraged.

Mundo shrugged again. He signalled the guards to take Shi Long away.

"Take care of him in the woods and make sure you clean up good," Mundo told the guards and then he smiled," Once you complete it I can ensure you two will have a great promotion."

The two nodded and dragged Shi Long to the woods.

After walking a safe distance the two burly men stopped dragging Shi Long and bound his wrists and legs with rope. They were near a lake.

"Why are you doing this?" Shi Long asked.

The men didn't answer. One grabbed Shi Long's arms, the other his legs, they were going to throw him into the lake! And it was snowing!

It was odd that the men didn't even speak. Without a word, they tossed him into the lake. It was freezing! A voice in Shi Long's head whispered, Qilin's voice. "Once a person falls into a freezing pool, it will only take two seconds for a person to start drowning..." He was thrown into the pool and landed in a splash. Qilin's voice echoed inside him as he felt himself blacking out.

A rustle. Luna shot out from the bush and threw bolos at the men. Her aim did not fail her as the bolos wrapped around the men like coiling back a yo-yo. Another figure jumped to the water and dived after Shi Long. He felt lips touching his and feeling someone's breath enter him, giving him precious oxygen. He felt arms holding him, bringing him up to the surface. Someone pushed him to the edge of the lake as Luna help pull him out. The figure who saved him climbed up and pressed his stomach in case water got in.

"Shi Long! Lang Shi Long, don't you dare die on me!"

His blurred vision made him see Qilin. He caught her and pulled her to him and kissed her.

"I thought you were dead," he said hoarsely as he kissed her.

Liuxang's eyes were huge. Luna guffawed. With huge effort, Liuxang pushed himself away. "Agent Shi Long, wake up!"

Shi Long snapped to attention, his blurred vision was now clear. He saw Liuxang backing away from him. "Well hell."

"Get up, Shi Long. We have a major rescue operation to do." Even though he was shivering, Shi Long got up with the help of Liuxang's outstretched hand.

"Sure, but first we have to talk to these guys." He approached the two men who looked at him measuredly.

"No, Shi Long –"

It was too late, the men clicked their teeth. The almond scent filled the air as the guards slumped, dead.

Liuxang gritted his teeth. "The scent of almonds, it's potassium cyanide."

"Idiots and their loyalty," Luna muttered.

But Liuxang wasn't done. He stepped towards the bodies of the guards and punched them, kicked them.

"FOOLS! DIDN'T I TELL YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?"

He kept on kicking them until Shi Long restrained him. "Liuxang, it happened, you couldn't stop it."

"I goddamn offered them a chance to turn to my side, but they flat out refused. Goddamn you to hell!"

Luna put a comforting hand on Liuxang's back. "Liuxang, they're dead."

He took a deep breathe and exhaled slowly. He was composed now but as usual, Shi Long noticed the dead look in Liuxang's eyes. It wasn't natural, he is so alive but his eyes were glassy.

"Agent Shi Long Lang, we have to go now."

Shi Long could see Liuxang's lips trembling.

"You're wet."

"Hmph, so are you, but unlike you I am after all ... advanced."

Luna threw a bundle at him as she climbed Liuxang's back. "Here's clothes, take your time."

Before Shi Long could protest, Liuxang and Luna disappeared.

"Now how can I catch up with them?" Shi Long muttered out loud, he wasn't familiar with the woods.

The unmistakable growl had his back turning and a black lovable bundle of fur pounced on him.

Franziska hadn't entirely fled, she had ran back to the manor to find Qilin. Amazingly, there were no guards. They must have fled to some place to plan what to do with them. She opened any door she could find to locate her cousin.

Not that. Not this one. Not the other one. Empty.

She opened one last door and screamed.

Qilin was in front of her, dragging Fiona by the hair with her left hand, and pointing the gun in between the eyes with her right. "Did you know how much I fantasized on doing this?" She asked with a cruel smile.

"No, Qilin, what happened to you?"

Fiona writhed in pain but she spoke," Or is she really Qilin?"

Mundo grabbed Miles and pulled him to the manor.

"I sent the guards away, my dear prosecutor, so that we could have some fun. My sister is already playing so I'll give you a headstart. The game is simple, as soon as I see you, or anyone you know, I will open fire and make sure you and they die."

With that, he pushed Miles into the manor and closed the door. "Fifteen minutes and counting."

Miles ran, his veins pumped adrenaline to assist his survival.

Liuxang was here, and then he was there. In the human eye, it was as if he was teleporting. He evaded overhanging branches, jumped over huge rocks, and leaped over ledges. He needed to rest.

"Shit, I'm out of practice already?" Liuxang asked between breathes.

"It's just because the medication weakened you besides you need to wear this now." Luna handed him a substance in a finger-like vial.

"This is the proto-type, isn't it?" Liuxang asked as he stopped for breath.

"Of course, my dear Shifu, I snitched it from you and it was your only one."

"I trained you well."

"Let's talk as while resting."

"Where exactly did atroium come from?"

Luna smiled at that question. "From a meteor."

"And what exactly is atroium?"

"It's not really a metal, it's just metallic."

Liuxang's lips curved. "What was it exactly?"

Even with no movement, the substance was moving by itself.

"An alien symbiote."

"Good girl." Liuxang shattered the glass vial, the liquid scattered and moved searching for a perfect host, it spotted Liuxang and threw itself at Liuxang. The force had Liuxang thrown to a tree. Liuxang smiled as he let the liquid spread. Darkness gripped him. Fight it, fight it, a voice said. Liuxang shook his head and relaxed, he let the darkness take him like a baby waiting for sleep.