The sun rose on the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue over the cityscape as morning rush hour took hold. Zhu returned to the station, her steps heavy, her body and mind worn down from a long night without rest. The media still swarmed outside, relentless, cameras and microphones pointed like the beaks of hungry vultures.
Inside, Seth stood at the entrance, already weary from his early shift, barely keeping the press at bay. He shot Zhu a sympathetic look as she passed, giving a strained nod in acknowledgment.
Zhu sank into her desk chair, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched her phone, staring at the screen. She'd typed and retyped the message a dozen times, each word loaded with the weight of questions she had no answers to. Still, each attempt to reach Elias ended the same: No connection. Phone ID does not exist.
I need to talk to him, she thought, rubbing her temples, fighting the fog of exhaustion. The decryptor... could it really be black-market tech? And if it is, could Elias have retrieved it himself from the Hollows?
The possibility hung over her like a shadow.
Zhu pulled out her personal tablet, swiping open the inter-knot messenger with a grim determination. Only one contact filled her screen: Phaethon. She tapped it, her fingers moving fast, her frustration spilling into her words.
Phaethon, I need to know—did Agent Smith, or Elias, ever try to recover that device from inside the Hollows? She hit send without a second thought, urgency overriding hesitation.
Leaning back, she exhaled, trying to keep her thoughts steady, her gaze falling on the neatly wrapped dessert box from J.D. She sighed, the sight both comforting and frustrating. "I hate to admit it, but I may need to devour you early," she muttered, lifting the delicate pastry to her lips, hoping the sugar might at least give her some clarity.
Just as she took her first bite, her tablet chimed. She glanced down, crumbs still on her lips, reading the reply with a mix of dread and anticipation.
Hello Captain, yes, we retrieved it with ease.
The words hit her like a slap. Her eyes widened, the pastry suddenly tasting too sweet, almost bitter. Her fingers tightened around the tablet as frustration surged, her thoughts rushing like steam in a kettle left too long on the stove.
How could you keep that from me? she typed furiously. We're in this investigation together, and you knew how vital this was!
She could feel her pulse pounding, each word an outlet for her pent-up frustration, a desperate attempt to make her anger clear even through the sterile screen.
"Elias left us in the darck nda youre supposde to be the proffessssional, arent you?!" She typed, her hands shaking, making typo out of anger wishing she could shout the words, her fury boiling over.
Qingyi, perched at her desk, raised an eyebrow as she watched Zhu furiously tap at her tablet. "Captain? Are you fighting someone on that thing, or did you lose your pity to a gacha game again?" She tried to keep her tone light, hoping to ease the tension.
Zhu rolled her eyes, a half-smile breaking through her annoyance. "It was Pha—uh, no, wait. Yeah, I lost to a gacha game. I'm just that stupid—pity me," she huffed, catching herself before revealing too much about Phaethon and the whole Proxy situation in front of the officers milling around.
Qingyi slid her chair closer, her curiosity piqued. "Told you to stop playing those games. They're designed to take your money and sanity, you know."
Zhu sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "You'd think I'd learn after the last fifty times. But here I am, heartbroken and broke, all for a handsome digital character."
"Then stop playing Gacha Impact and focus on the investigation," Qingyi chuckled, nudging her playfully.
Zhu shook her head, a smile finally creeping onto her face as her mood lightened. She turned back to her inter-knot messenger and started typing.
Okay, since you helped Elias with his "trash recovery plan," help us solve our cold case and heist problem.
Captain, everyone is willing to help you. Just keep your doors open, Phaethon replied.
Despite her sleeplessness and exhaustion, Zhu stepped into the conference room, a determined look etched across her face. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, illuminating the room cluttered with her team's scattered notes and empty coffee cups, remnants of late-night brainstorming sessions. Qingyi and Seth were already there, their expressions a mix of anticipation and concern as they glanced up from the table strewn with papers.
Zhu placed a stack of files, newspaper clippings, and high-resolution tech images—courtesy of the NEDF liaison—on the table with a soft thud, the sound cutting through the tense air. "Alright team," she began, her voice steady despite the fatigue weighing on her.
Seth, fidgeting slightly in his seat, looked up with a furrowed brow. "Captain, are we focusing on the Hollow Syndicate case instead of the Heist?" His tone was cautious, aware of the stakes involved.
Zhu let out a weary sigh as she began to prepare the whiteboard, flipping it around to face them, filled with hastily scrawled notes and diagrams from previous meetings. "Yes, obviously. Elias ghosted us, and we can't waste time chasing shadows." She bit her lip, the frustration of Elias's silence gnawing at her. "But there are connections we can't ignore.
He provided us with some essential intel that could link this to the Golden Eridu Hotel heist. Remember, this cold case involves NEDF tech too."
As she began to draw lines connecting different points on the board, her mind raced with possibilities. Each connection represented a thread in a tangled web, one that could lead them closer to uncovering the truth.
"We've got a suspect with the alias 'The Pacifist,'" Zhu began, pinning an image of a shadowed figure onto the board. "He's a mercenary who joined the small time gang before moving into a larger syndicate—according to case files, news clippings, and past records."
Sifting through the stack of documents in her hands, her brow furrowed. "He's efficient but avoids violent tactics. His conflicts with humans, thirens and sentient machines are bloodless." She clipped a bold newspaper headline about The Pacifist onto the board. "But when it comes to Ethereals, he's incredibly effective—just like us."
Seth leaned forward, clearly intrigued. "So, no violence with people? That's... unusual." He raised his hand like a student eager to speak. "Captain?"
Zhu glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "Seth? Need a snack break already?"
"No, no," he stammered, waving his hands defensively. "I just remembered something Elias—uh, or maybe it was Mr. Smith—said on your patio: 'He's not a violent person.'"
Zhu froze, her fingers hovering over a file. "So, you're suspecting him already?" she shot back, her tone tinged with sarcasm. Yet the remark stirred a memory: Elias hadn't harmed Hyun Li when they were caught—a fact now quietly nagging at her.
This is too early. I can't just suspect Elias because... well, yeah, I'm mad about him ghosting me, but suspicion needs evidence—not personal feelings.
The room grew quiet until the door creaked open. Jane strolled in, a cup in hand, making a beeline for the water dispenser. She filled her cup at a pace so leisurely it bordered on maddening. Seth, usually unbothered, cringed visibly, his ears reddening.
Zhu stood frozen, glaring. Of all the places to fill your cup, Jane? Really?
"Carry on, Captain. Just getting a drink," Jane said casually, not sparing Zhu a glance.
Zhu's patience teetered on the edge. "Jane, this is a closed-door meeting with my team," she said through gritted teeth.
Jane turned, unfazed. "Captain, I thought we were tight. I can help with this case—just keep the doors open." She took a deliberate sip and leaned against the wall.
Keep the doors open? Zhu's eyes narrowed. That phrase sounded annoyingly familiar—Phaethon had said something similar not long ago.
"Fine," Zhu relented, exhaling sharply. "But I'm in charge here."
Jane grinned as she settled in. Zhu, her annoyance simmering, grabbed another image from the files and pinned it up. "Here's the weapon that went missing from NEDF—a prototype for Soldier Zero. Incidentally, Soldier Zero has also gone missing."
"That weapon pack," Seth blurted, squinting at the image. "It looks like the one that silver-haired girl was carrying at Blazewood, during Nightro Fest."
Zhu raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jane, who was watching with apparent indifference. "Okay? Elaborate."
"I couldn't scan her bio-signature, Captain, but I remember her from surveillance," Qingyi explained. "She was part of Gentle House—or what's sometimes called The Cunning Hares," Qingyi added, sipping her hot water.
Zhu frowned. "Are you sure? Nothing on her in the surface level database?"
"Anby Demara," Qingyi replied. "But the name's probably a nod to Nicole Demara."
Zhu rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Noted." She jotted Gentle House on the board. A memory flickered—she'd seen them across the café recently right after having a small talk with Belle, she even interacted with them.
Pulling out another file, Zhu displayed a biotech serum marked with undisclosed effects. "This experimental biotech serum allegedly prolongs Hollow exposure without Ethereal corruption." She flipped through the pages. "Some conspiracy theories call it one of the 'Super Soldier' serum." Her fingers tapped on the board, "...some effects can lose your melanin in hair."
"Wait," Seth interjected again, hand half-raised. "Elias survived in the Hollows with just sugar cubes and water—and he's got silver hair!"
Qingyi chuckled, while Jane let out a laugh. Seth scratched his head awkwardly, realizing how far-fetched he sounded.
"Stop reading comic books Seth." Jane blurted patting his head aggressively.
"Jane!" Seth replied completely flushed. "Stop it!" Zhu and Qingyi looked at them unfazed, stopping the trail of their thoughts.
Zhu blinked, "Why does everything tie back to Elias?!" groaned looking at them both, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Let's take a break." But she can't ignore Seth's absurd commentary.
Jane smirked. "Since I'm here, Captain, I'll keep everything about this 'Elias' under wraps," she said, her eyes glinting with amusement. "By the way, who is he? Boyfriend?"
Zhu spun around, her face instantly red. "What?! No!" Her denial was so fierce it startled Seth and Qingyi into holding back laughter.
Jane raised her hands innocently. "Okay, no need to shout. But seriously, who is he?"
"I-I help him with his case," Zhu stammered, tripping over her words. "I mean, we—my team does." She turned away, cheeks flushed, while Jane's grin only grew wider.
"You're working below the table, Captain? That's bad..." Jane chuckled. "The Chief would be mad if you're doing side investigations."
Ah yes, side investigations. That sounds so innocent, doesn't it? Just me, a dedicated officer, doing 'a little bit of digging' into the mysterious charms of a handsome rogue. No big deal, right? Zhu thought, rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.
"It's because there's a larger threat, nothing more," Zhu muttered, crossing her arms like a stubborn child. "I won't be getting into more details... let's just focus on this case." She finally slumped back into her chair, feigning indifference.
Jane pulled out a chair between Seth and Qingyi, sitting gracefully, a smirk dancing on her lips. "I think... that guy is too attractive, so you offered help, didn't you?"
Zhu felt like she was being interrogated in her own conference room. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she could feel a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Great, now I'm blushing like a rookie. Thanks a lot, Jane. "Can you please stop this, Jane? I need to take a breather."
Why do I keep getting caught up in these scenarios? First, I'm supposed to be investigating a serious case, and now I'm the subject of a matchmaking comedy. Just great. Next, they'll be asking me to find him a nice restaurant for our first date or something!
Zhu exhaled, eyes heavy, until sleep finally overtook her. Slouched in her chair, her arms crossed and head dipping forward, she slipped into a fitful nap.
Suddenly, a loud thud snapped her awake. The conference room was empty, papers strewn everywhere floating, the once orderly space now in disarray. Panic jolted through her veins as she felt a force pulling her backward—someone, or something, had seized her chair, holding her in place. She struggled, her voice catching in her throat, muffled as though she were underwater.
"Where's my team?" she gasped, fighting to be heard. Her voice seemed to vanish into the air, absorbed by the unsettling quiet.
She turned, only to be greeted by the sight of that familiar, pulsing void—a swirling with angry reds and suffocating blacks, devouring the room inch by inch. Its edges crackled with dark energy, inching closer with a predatory slowness, as if savoring the chase. Zhu's heart raced, her muscles straining, but her limbs felt like they were weighed down, as if the chair itself had grown hands, binding her in place.
Then, the conference room door burst open, and a blinding light flooded in, casting the whole room into sharp, surreal contrast. A figure stood framed in the light, their hand extended. "Do you trust me?" the figure's voice boomed, reverberating through the room like a plea and a command rolled into one.
Zhu lurched forward, propelled by a desperate need to escape, and stretched her arm toward the figure. Just as their fingers brushed, everything dissolved into a searing white.
She jolted awake, heart pounding. Her team sat across the table, chatting with Jane, who glanced over with a raised brow.
Leaning forward, Zhu clasped her forehead, letting out a slow, shaky breath. "That void again... it's getting closer every time," she muttered, half to herself, half as if confessing to the echoing voice that lingered in her mind.
"Captain?" Qingyi's soft voice cut through Zhu's daze, snapping her back to the present.
Zhu blinked, trying to shake off the remnants of the nightmare that still clung to her mind. "I think... I need to clock out," she murmured, sounding more exhausted than she intended. She slumped forward, taking a deep, steadying breath, then looked at her team with a glint of resolve in her eyes. "Qingyi, Seth," she started, her gaze flicking to Jane, hesitating for a beat, before adding, "...Jane."
She straightened, her voice regaining some firmness. "Please secure my conference room. I don't want anyone poking through our files when we're not around."
Jane, always quick to notice, raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Don't worry, Captain. I'll guard it like a dragon over treasure. No one's getting in here without a fight."
Seth gave a brisk nod. "Consider it done, Captain. No one's going near our case."
Zhu managed a small, grateful smile, though her face still held the lingering shadows of the nightmare.