This coming week, the Golden Eridu Hotel buzzed with activity as it hosted a Weapons Convention, turning the station into a whirlwind of chaos. Reports piled up like a precarious tower of poorly managed paperwork, threatening to topple over at any moment.
While Zhu and Seth enjoyed a well-deserved one-day break—complete with a mandatory recharge of their sanity—Qingyi, seemingly unfazed by their chaotic mission, dove headfirst into data collection. With unwavering dedication, she gathered every scrap of intel they had unearthed, ensuring that Captain could sift through it all with the ease of a barista frothing milk for a latte. Truly, she was a reliable partner, even if her relentless efficiency sometimes made Zhu wonder if she was part robot.
Zhu's desk resembled a bakery explosion, cluttered with untouched pastries that beckoned her to indulge. "I could start my own bakery with this," she muttered, eyeing a particularly decadent lava cakes that seemed to glisten under the fluorescent lights. She took it home.
Immediately upon returning that morning, Zhu rushed to get her phone fixed before heading to her apartment for some much-needed rest. As soon as it was operational, she attempted to respond to Elias's text, but each time she hit send, it felt like tossing a message into a bottomless pit.
Hours ticked by with no response, and with each passing minute, her concern deepened. "I hope he responds within the day. He might be busy… Should I call him? But I don't want to look desperate. Ugh, what's the right amount of concern before it crosses into the realm of stalking?"
Zhu caught herself glancing at her phone every few minutes, even considering reaching out to Phaethon to see if he'd heard anything about Elias. But the idea felt like overstepping—too desperate, too unlike her.
"If he's gone dark, it's not my issue," she told herself, anxiously gripping her phone a little tighter. "I've got enough on my plate with my Cold Case."
Her mind clung to the logic, hoping it might settle the tugging at her heart. But the truth crept in, uninvited, soft and undeniable—she half expected to see a simple 'Hey Captain' light up her screen, even now.
Deciding she needed a breather, Zhu headed to Lumina Square in her casual clothes, feeling lighter without the weight of her PUBSEC uniform. She'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to walk through the cleaner, bustling heart of the city—so different from the gritty Outer Ring. As she passed a cozy café, the inviting aroma of coffee made her pause. Maybe just a quick stop? she thought.
As soon as she entered, the café owner's eyes lit up in recognition. "Officer! Anything you'd like—it's on the house," he said, grinning.
Zhu approached the counter, shaking her head with a smile. "Thanks, but I'll pay. Just a coffee." Her gaze drifted briefly to the display case, where a decadent J.D.'s lava cake sat, its rich chocolate exterior practically daring her. She hesitated, then added, "…and one of those."
As Zhu headed back to her table, she nearly collided with a familiar face. "Oh… Manager! Didn't see you there," she said, stepping back.
It was Belle from Random Play, looking as unruffled as ever—well, almost. "Ahh, hi, Officer Zhu Yuan," Belle greeted with a faintly guilty smile.
Zhu chuckled, waving off the formalities. "No need to be so polite. Where's your brother? And hey, want to join me for a bit?"
Belle's hands shot up awkwardly, almost like she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. For the readers in the know, Seth caught Wise sending in desserts to Zhu under the guise of "John Doe," all thanks to Seth's dessert obsession disguised as "intelligence gathering" from the past chapters. Zhu, of course, had no idea of this—and probably thought the sweets were a random perk of her chaotic life.
The café owner glanced up and called over to Belle with a grin, "Hey Belle! Usual ord—"
Belle waved her hands so frantically she nearly knocked a menu off the counter. "No, no! Just a… uh… strawberry frappe! Came in for a strawberry frappe!" her voice louder that intended.
Zhu raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Didn't take you for the fruity drink type."
"Oh, you know, hehe." Belle replied, her laugh just a bit too forced. "Sometimes you've got to… mix it up!"
"Come on, sit with me. Let's have a small talk, just a catch up." Belle nervously smiled and agreed.
Belle gave in and they both shared a table on a cozy spot inside, she's too fidgety but Zhu doesn't seem to be bothered. Their orders arrived, and Belle's gaze fixated on Zhu's lava cake, her fingers continued drumming on the table as if the dessert itself held some cosmic truth. She bit her lip, clearly fighting the urge to say something.
Zhu broke the silence, taking a sip of her coffee. "So, how's the video store treating you?"
Belle snapped out of her trance. "Oh! The store! It's… great, totally great! We're, uh, rolling out some updates soon. You know, nothing big, just a few small changes…" Her grip on her frappe was tight enough to strangle it.
"Sounds good," Zhu nodded. "I'd love to swing by, but…" She exhaled heavily, her shoulders slumping a little. "I've been wrapped up with this case and this… well, let's call him 'a certain someone.'" She fidgeted, her cheeks faintly pink.
Belle's eyes widened, and she leaned forward, trying to sound casual. "Oh, a 'certain someone,' you say?" She raised an eyebrow, all too interested. "Do tell, Officer!"
"No need to be formal." Zhu took a deep breath, looking contemplative. "He's not just some random guy, you know? I'm helping him with his own… complicated situation. And I'm just… ugh, confused." She paused, glancing at Belle. "You comfortable with a small girl talk?"
"Oh, no, no!" Belle waved her hands frantically, knocking her straw out of her drink. "I'm all ears. Totally in the zone for this!" She chuckled nervously, giving a big thumbs-up.
"So, uh, about this guy… Do you… trust him?" She winced immediately, like she'd just accidentally blurted out her PIN number. "Sorry! I mean, weird question. Forget I asked."
Zhu sighed, her expression softening. "Trust… it's tricky. I told my team he can't be trusted, but there's a part of me that feels otherwise, you know?" She looked down, fiddling with her coffee cup. "There's… I don't know, something more going on."
Belle nodded, holding her drink tightly to her mouth to keep herself from blurting out anything incriminating. "Oh, yeah, something big—I mean, maybe. Just a hunch!"
Zhu shot Belle a conspiratorial gaze, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Big? What would you do if you were in my place? Picture this: you're a video store manager, right? Suddenly, a barrage of desserts arrives every day and this random guy pops up into your life and giving you mixed signals. How would you handle that?"
Belle shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Zhu's intense gaze as if it were a laser beam. "A guy, desserts, and confusion? You're putting me in a very sticky situation here," she said, wiping her cheeks as if to clear away the impending metaphorical frosting. "I… I don't know unless he lays out his motives. Or, you know, confesses his motives while holding a slice of cake. That would help!"
Zhu chuckled, leaning back in her chair, "That's exactly the dilemma! What if he ends up being a charming double agent, though? You know, secretly working for the enemy while feeding me pastries?" She let the term "double agent" slip out without a second thought, unaware that she shouldn't share work details with Belle. "Oh… I may have slipped that out, but yeah, I'm helping him with the case."
Belle blinked at her, an awkward smile plastered on her face, as if she were trying to figure out how to respond to a riddle involving pastries and espionage. "Right… so, your guy might be working for the enemy, and he's charming? Sounds like you're in a dessert dilemma, Officer."
Zhu groaned dramatically, "You have no idea! And now, I'm starting to think the desserts might be the most trustworthy part of this whole situation."
"Do you think that guy is sending you desserts, or is it a different person?" Belle asked, her tone surprisingly brave, as if she were interrogating a suspect instead of discussing dessert delivery.
Zhu gave her a faint smile, her thoughts drifting back. "Well, probably? I mean, I met him at Lumina Square after my spectacular lunch disaster." She chuckled, recalling the moment. "He even gifted me a tiny lava cupcake as my dessert—just a simple little thing, not some five-star 'café' masterpiece. I appreciated that. Ever since, I've been getting lava cupcakes from J.D."
Belle raised an eyebrow, leaning in with exaggerated curiosity. "No messages or anything?"
Zhu laughed, shaking her head. "Just a note saying he's John Doe. Honestly, he's probably the one sending those. I hate to admit that it's working."
Belle let out a hearty, girly laugh, clearly delighted. "Captain, you can give him a chance! Help him! Life is full of surprises. Who knows? Maybe he'll turn out to be your Prince Charming... or at least your Dessert Knight!"
Zhu felt her cheeks flush, unable to find her voice. Work with him? Life is full of surprises? Those words echoed in her mind, bouncing around like a hyperactive child on a sugar rush. But I can't just trust him. I need to investigate who this Jaxon really is—he's tied to the cold case.
"If you're stressed, you can never go wrong with desserts. They're like magic—spelled backwards!" Belle finally took a sip of her untouched, slightly melted strawberry frappe, as if she were savoring a rare potion.
"Uhm… yeah, probably," Zhu replied, forcing a faint smile, still lost in her swirling thoughts.
Belle's eyes sparkled with mischief. "See? You're already feeling better just by talking about them! Next time, you should bring a cake for me too. I might need a little magic of my own!"
Zhu chuckled softly, grateful for the distraction, even if it was just for a moment.
Suddenly, Belle's phone rang. She answered it, shooting a quick glance at Zhu, who was propped up on her chin, lost in thought. "Uh, hey, Captain. I gotta run—Wise just called in!"
"Sure, no problem!" Zhu replied, offering a smile as she watched Belle head toward the door, waving goodbye.
As Belle stepped outside, Zhu squinted at the sunlight and caught sight of the Gentle House crew's car. A white-haired cyborg in a red jacket, nicknamed Billy Kid by Qingyi, waved playfully at Belle from the passenger seat. The pink-haired girl was driving, with two others lounging in the back, clearly waiting for Belle to join them. They exchanged a few words, but Belle declined their invitation, shooting Zhu an awkward smile over her shoulder.
"Wait, they were in the Outer Ring last night, right? Does Belle know them?" Zhu pondered, trying to brush it off. "Probably just being friendly—after all, they run a business," she whispered to herself, trying to ignore the flutter of curiosity in her stomach.
Her anxiety grew up again about Elias, he's not responding on her text messages, she hangs on the café a bit longer.
Feeling a sense of satisfaction and calm, Zhu stepped out of the café, the golden hue of the setting sun casting a warm glow over the clouds, transforming the sky into a canvas of oranges and pinks.
The remnants of the afternoon heat clung to her skin like an unwelcome reminder, but she pushed it aside as she pulled out her phone. Her heart skipped as she saw there was still no response from Elias.
"I should definitely call him," she muttered, a hint of determination flickering in her chest. She paused, staring at the screen as if it held the answers to all her questions. Elias's contact flashed in front of her, but her fingertips trembled above the 'call' button, hovering uncertainly like a bird hesitant to take flight.
Taking a deep breath, she swallowed hard and pressed the button, raising the phone to her ear. But the weight of anticipation felt heavier than ever; her thumb instinctively hovered over the 'cancel' button, her anxiety mounting with every passing second. The bustling sounds of the city around her faded into the background, replaced by the rapid thud of her heart.
"Sorry, the phone ID does not exist… Please try to check the ID," the operator's voice rang out, cutting through her thoughts like a cold blade. Zhu's eyes widened in shock, her heart sinking as dread pooled in her stomach. It felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her, leaving her teetering on the edge of a cliff.
"No… Elias? Did he really drop me off the case?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the din of the street. Emotions roiled within her like a tempest, and she felt her heart shatter, fragments scattering in every direction.
Panic clawed at her throat as she frantically double-checked her contacts, swiping through old messages in a desperate bid to find something—anything—that would explain this sudden silence.
The sunlight dipped lower, casting long shadows across the pavement, mirroring the darkening thoughts swirling in her mind.
Was this truly the end of their connection?