Zhu clocked out early that night, her mind swirling with doubt and unease. She stuffed the gathered evidence into her bag—documents, security logs, bits of data—each piece pointing to something unsettling. Elias was a puzzle she couldn't solve. Her thoughts looped endlessly as she walked through the city streets, the neon lights of New Eridu casting long shadows across her path.

"Every piece of evidence is crucial," she murmured to herself, her grip tightening on her bag. But then, her thoughts shifted, an unsettling twist of curiosity rising in her chest. Isn't it risky that he spilled those details to me? Did he really trust me enough to hand over information like that... or was it something else? Her pace quickened, boots clicking against the damp pavement.

But why is he after a black market device? That question gnawed at her like an itch she couldn't scratch. The pieces didn't add up. Elias was always the one to root out corruption, not dive into the very abyss he was supposed to be fighting. Could he be playing a dangerous game? Or is he deeper in this than I realized?

As she reached her apartment building, a wave of exhaustion hit her. But this wasn't just physical fatigue; it was the weight of uncertainty pressing down. Her fingers brushed the key card at her side, but her mind was elsewhere—on him.

Was she foolish for wanting to believe in him? Or was this nagging doubt a survival instinct? She clenched her jaw. If there's even a chance... she told herself, a bitter taste filling her mouth. I need to be sure.

Unlocking her door, she stepped inside, tossing her bag onto the table. The room was quiet, too quiet, the silence amplifying her thoughts. She sank into the nearest chair, pulling out her tablet. Her hand hesitated over the screen.

Phaethon the Proxy.

If anyone could help her unravel this tangled mess, it was them. They had connections she didn't, and they could work quietly in the shadows. A ping to their network through the inter-knot could be the key. But contacting Phaethon means crossing another line...

Her finger hovered over the screen, indecision freezing her in place. Do I really want to know?The answer was obvious. She couldn't afford not to know.

With a deep breath, Zhu typed out the message on the inter-knot: "Is Phaethon around? I've got a commission." The words felt heavier than they should, her fingers lingering over the keys for just a moment longer before pressing send. There was no turning back now.

She set the tablet down on the table, the dim light of her apartment casting a faint glow on the screen. In the quiet, she busied herself with preparing a simple home-made dinner, the familiar motions calming her nerves. Chopping vegetables, boiling water—it was all routine, but her mind was elsewhere, tangled in the web of doubt and suspicion.

As the food simmered on the stove, she glanced back toward the tablet. A soft ping echoed through the room. Then another. And another. Her heart skipped a beat. Was it Phaethon?She wiped her hands on a towel and walked over, tension building with every step. But as she picked up the device, her hope quickly evaporated. Notifications flooded the screen, one after another, all from random, anonymous sources.

"I'm Phaethon. What do you need?"

"Looking for Phaethon? I can help."

"Commission accepted! Just send the creds!"

Her brow furrowed in frustration. It was chaos—scammers, fakes, and opportunists all clamoring for attention, pretending to be the one she needed. The sheer volume of messages gave her a headache, each one more ridiculous than the last. It seemed like just mentioning Phaethon had stirred up a nest of vultures.

She sighed, swiping through the barrage of junk, her earlier sense of purpose starting to wane. This was a mistake, she thought, rubbing her temple. She hadn't expected it to be this hard, to sift through so much noise just to find the real Phaethon, if they even saw her message at then, a single message caught her eye, buried beneath the flood of false claims. It was simple. Direct.

"Not here... But you're close, Captain."

Zhu froze, staring at the screen. A chill ran down her spine. This was different—cryptic, subtle. Was it real? Or just another trick? Her instincts told her to be cautious, but a part of her couldn't shake the feeling that she was on the right path.

Close to what? Captain? How did Phaethon knew it was me? she thought, the mystery deepening.

The next morning felt unusually tense for Zhu. The cacophony of ringing phones, clattering keyboards, and hushed conversations swirled around her. Anxiety sat like a storm cloud over the precinct, and all she could think about was the mail from Phaethon that should arrive today."Mail for the Captain!" a voice called out across the office. Heads turned in unison, eyes filled with curiosity. Everyone was still buzzing about J.D., the mysterious dessert sender who had become a source of playful gossip.

"Did J.D. finally confess, Captain?" Amy teased, grinning as she pushed the envelope toward Zhu.

Zhu's eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced at the envelope and felt a shift in her chest—this wasn't from J.D., and the stakes were far higher. The tension that was already brewing in the room thickened as she picked up the mail.

"Negative, officer," she said, her voice commanding instant attention. "This is from a case we're working on." The room went quiet, the lightheartedness evaporating. Her tone held a weight that silenced even the most persistent chatter.

Everyone could tell—this wasn't just another morning.

Zhu motioned for Qingyi and Seth to follow her to the lab, her mind heavy with anticipation. "I told Phaethon to use end-to-end encryption. If anyone tries to tamper with it, the files will disappear," she warned, her voice low and steady, though her heart was racing.

As they arrived at the lab, she opened the envelope with deliberate care, handing the small drive to Qingyi. The tension in the room was palpable as the device clicked into the computer. Zhu leaned in, her breath caught in her throat.

"Running AES-128 decryptor," Qingyi said, her eyes reflecting the glow of the monitor. Zhu felt every heartbeat echo in her chest. The seconds stretched unbearably long, doubt gnawing at her mind. "What if it's not Phaethon?" she muttered under her breath.

"What if all of that negotiation was for nothing?"

Suddenly, the screen flashed. "Decryption successful."The collective sigh of relief that filled the room felt almost tangible, like a heavy weight finally lifted from their shoulders.

"Displaying contents now, Captain," Qingyi announced, her tone professional but tinged with curiosity.

The screen filled with images and video files—footage captured by Phaethon's Bangboo (Eous) during Zhu Yuan and Qingyi's Hollow rescue. At first glance, everything seemed legitimate, until the camera angle shifted to an unexpected highlight.

Zhu's rear, snug in her tight service pants, was suddenly front and center, lingering there for an awkwardly long time.

Seth's face turned tomato red as he quickly looked away, fighting hard not to burst into laughter. His shoulders were trembling from the effort.

Zhu cleared her throat, her face matching Seth's in color. "D-Didn't know I was putting on a show from that angle," she mumbled, side-eyeing Seth with a deadly glare.

Before she could compose herself, Qingyi chimed in with her usual deadpan tone. "Bangboos are small, Captain. That's their normal perspective."

Zhu groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Great. My 'butt' immortalized as evidence. Exactly what I needed today. -Or probably Phaethon is just a pervert."

Seth stifled a snort, and Zhu shot him another look. "One word from you, and you're the next camera angle."

Zhu sat back at her desk, the tension slowly unwinding from her shoulders after the lab ordeal. Her phone pinged softly—a message from Elias asking for an update on the Device ID. She stared at the screen for a moment, then swiped it aside. She wasn't ready to deal with him yet.

Instead, she grabbed her tablet and opened her inter-knot messenger and drafted a note to Phaethon. Her fingers hesitated briefly before she typed, "Phaethon, do you trust us? We need to conduct our own investigation without Agent Smith... or perhaps Elias."

The reply came faster than she expected. "...Having doubts with him?"

Her heart raced as she responded. "I can't say yes, but he's undercover. We need to be one step ahead to figure out his agenda. He's after a Black Market device decryptor."

There was a pause. Zhu's eyes were glued to the screen, anticipating resistance. But the reply was almost nonchalant. "Okay, Captain. I guess you're just doing your job."

She blinked, confused. Just like that? No questions? No objections? Her fingers danced over the screen, typing quickly. "Uhh... no objections?"

Phaethon's response was curt. "Sorry, Captain, but let's get things straight. What help do you need?"

Zhu frowned. Phaethon had dodged her questions entirely, and it left a bitter taste. "The Device ID... we've got it," she typed, hesitating for a moment before adding, "I'll tell you, but don't disclose it yet to Elias. As I requested, we just need to be one step ahead."

Her fingers hovered before she sent the final text. "Trust me, Phaethon."

As soon as the message was sent, she felt a strange unease. Something wasn't sitting right. Phaethon was being far too agreeable, almost indifferent to the sensitive nature of the case. Was he really as neutral as he seemed?

Her eyes flicked back to the message from Elias still lingering on her tablet. Trust was becoming an increasingly fragile thing.

Zhu typed in the Device ID provided by the interrogated suspect, sending it off to Phaethon to trace within the Hollows. She added a final touch to her message: "Please... Phaethon, trust us."

"Sure, Captain, no worries," Phaethon replied almost instantly.

Zhu blinked, her brow furrowing. Really? That easy? She was about to type, "Do you know anything about his operation?" but hesitated, biting her lip. After a moment of contemplation, she deleted it instead and sent a more subdued message. "Thanks, Phaethon, we really owe you a lot."

Phaethon's only response was a smiley emoji, leaving Zhu to exhale deeply, scratching her head while leaning back in her chair.

"This case is giving me psychological stress..." she muttered to herself. Her gaze drifted to J.D.'s box of desserts sitting on her desk. She reached for it, curiosity piquing. As she opened the box, her eyes widened in delight at the sight of a strawberry lava cake nestled inside.

"I'm being reliant on these sweets now, Thanks, J.D.," she whispered, her face lighting up like a kid in a candy store. The sweet scent wafted up, filling the air around her, instantly lifting her spirits. It was like the universe knew she needed a little pick-me-up.

She picked up the cake with a smile, a moment of lightheartedness breaking through the tension of the day. "Just what I needed to tackle this mess," she said, eyeing the cake like it was a precious artifact. "If only solving cases came with dessert rewards."

As she took a bite, the warm strawberry goo oozed out, and she couldn't help but close her eyes, savoring the rich flavor. "Okay, J.D., you might just be my new favorite person," she chuckled softly to herself, feeling the weight of the world lighten just a bit.

Zhu's lighthearted break was cut short by the familiar ping of her messenger. She glanced at her screen, heart skipping a beat as she saw the name Elias flash across it.

"Zhu, just an update. I may need to lie low for a couple of days. Just a breakthrough on the case."

Her pulse quickened. Could it be? Did Phaethon just give it away? The color drained from her face as a creeping sense of dread crawled up her spine. Reaching for her tablet, she felt the urge to confirm with Phaethon, but just as her fingers hovered over the screen, there was a knock at her door.

"Captain..." Her chief's voice cut through the haze of her rising panic. "Conference room. Now."She froze. I can't risk being seen talking to a Proxy through inter-knot right now, she thought, pulling her hand away from the tablet reluctantly. Setting it down, she rose from her seat, fighting the uneasy pit in her stomach. She hurried to the conference room, the tension clinging to her like a second skin.

Inside the dimly lit room, the hum of the projector casting shadows across the walls, she sat beside Qingyi and Seth. Her fingers tapped anxiously on her notebook, betraying the storm brewing inside her mind. It was like she was barely holding on—distracted, her thoughts racing back to Elias's message. What breakthrough? Why now?

"Captain?" Qingyi's voice broke through her thoughts, the concern in her tone evident. "Is everything okay?"

Zhu swallowed hard, trying to push down the growing knot in her chest. "I'll tell you guys later," she muttered, glancing away as her fingers fidgeted restlessly.

Her chief stood at the podium, his presence commanding immediate attention. "Alright, officers. I know this is short notice, but we need to be prepared for two significant events on the horizon. First, the Dawn Horizon Project will officially launch this week, and with that, we expect a surge in protests across the streets. The last thing we want is for things to spiral out of control. Our responsibility is to ensure the safety of our citizens, and that means raising our public security efforts.

The stakes are high, and we cannot afford any slip-ups.

"Then in the next two weeks, we have the Advanced Weapons Conference at the Golden Eridu Hotel. This is a major gathering—weapon manufacturers, high-profile bidders, and potential threats all under one roof. Our presence will be crucial. We need all hands on deck to maintain order and manage any situations that might arise.

We're not just protecting property; we're safeguarding lives. Let's be ready for anything. Understood?"

The words barely registered in Zhu's mind. Her thoughts were elsewhere, flickering between Elias, Phaethon, and the potential fallout. But something about the event triggered a memory, tugging at her foggy mind. The pressure was building, a swirl of unease overshadowing everything else. What had Phaethon revealed? What was Elias up to?

And now, the incoming public chaos, the convention—it was all starting to feel like one tangled mess that could snap at any moment.