With the help of an additional team member from forensics, they uncovered the secured black box from the Bangboo—a device resembling something you'd find in an aircraft. "This could show us what the bangboo saw before it went dark," the team member announced, eyeing the badly damaged equipment.
I know bangboos are just machines, but still...Zhu Yuan felt a twinge of emotion creeping in, despite her efforts to stay detached. They're aware of their surroundings, even if they didn't pass the Forbidden Fruit test. She sighed, standing at the site of explosion her resolve hardening. That poor bangboo... We'll solve this crime, no matter what.
Qingyi stepped forward, her synthetic eyes glinting with determination. "Don't worry; I'll try to squeeze some information out of this black box. Think of me as a tech-savvy detective, but with fewer bad puns—at least for now."
Zhu Yuan remained unusually silent, lost in thought. Something was brewing in her mind. "Technically, the suspect who took this Bangboo wasn't after desserts. Or maybe he was? But then they opted to make a makeshift bomb?Just to harm someone?" Her expression turned serious as she stared into the distance, as if searching for answers in the Hollow's gloomy expanse. "There could be something bigger behind this."
The afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon, they exited the Hollow, the weight of their findings hanging in the air. Just as Zhu Yuan continued to ponder, her device buzzed with a message from Elias.
"On for an update?"
"Okay," she replied, then quickly added, "Care to include the two kids on this? They really worked hard today." She was referring to Qingyi and Seth, who were still buzzing with the adrenaline of the day's events.
"Kids?Are we forming a daycare now?" Elias replied with a chuckle. "If you are referring to Qingyi and Seth... -Seems like you can't focus when they're around."
"Nah, I can manage," she said, rolling her eyes playfully. "We'll just crack an emergency case and maybe introduce some 'snack training' while we're at it. I'll message you if the team is up for tonight."
"Okay, don't keep me hanging," he responded.
Back at the station; Zhu Yuan was stuck doing overtime—again. She groaned as she shuffled through paperwork. "I just had overtime last week. I'm basically jet-lagged in my own time zone," she muttered, her eyes burning from staring at the screen too long. The clock on the wall seemed to mock her as it ticked ever-so-slowly.
Meanwhile, Qingyi was huddled with the forensics team, working on extracting data from the Bangboo's damaged black box. She suddenly perked up, excitement bubbling over. "It was badly damaged, but we managed to recover some images. We filtered out the non-relevant data, leaving only what could help crack the case," she announced.
One image in particular caught her eye—a blurry snapshot of a man's lower arm just before the Bangboo went offline. But something stood out: it wasn't just an arm.It was within histattooshe recognize some characters.
Qingyi immediately ran an image-enhancing program, zooming in on the blurry ink recognizing anEridu alphabet. With the enhanced image, she practically ran to Zhu Yuan, who was buried in the last pile of her paperwork. "Captain, we might need to bring this to Mr. Smith."
"What?" Zhu Yuan asked, confused as she scribbled her signature on a form.
"Why him?" She put down her pen and followed Qingyi to the computer where Seth was already staring, wide-eyed.
On the screen was the suspect's arm with a tattoo, they have marked the specific spot where the characters are enhanced. The word"Veil"stared back at them. No visible face, but the tattoo was enough to spark serious interest.
Zhu Yuan's eyes widened, Veil? Is this tied to Elias's case? her pulse quickening. "This could be theacewe need for thatcase!" she said, excitedly. Qingyi, Seth and the forensics team looked back at her, their expressions serious and deadpan.
"What?" Zhu Yuan blinked, sensing something off.
Seth finally spoke up, trying to suppress a smirk. "Captain... did you just make a pun? Like... a dry one?"
Zhu Yuan's face dropped, her serious expression aimed right at Seth. "Really? I'm delivering vital information here, and you're focusing on that?" She looked genuinely irritated, though a hint of amusement lingered in her eyes.
"Alright, in thirty minutes, we'll head out for late dinner," Zhu Yuan said, practically bouncing as she grabbed her phone from her pocket.
She quickly typed, "We'll be off in 30 minutes. Got any particular place in mind?"
The reply came swiftly: "Yes, 6th Street."
Zhu Yuan paused. She knew 6th Street was really memorable for her as she had a friend there, running a Video archive Store;but that street is notoriously littered with spooky story from the night patrol officers.Before she could ponder too much, another message buzzed in:
"But please be discreet.This is between us and your team, Officer Zhu Yuan. I'll bringPhaethoninto the conversation on voice."
Her fingers froze over the screen.Phaethon? The proxy?Her mind raced, and she glanced around, suddenly hyper-aware of Qingyi and Seth standing nearby. Her concerned expression was not lost on them—she looked like she had just realized her dessert box had been swapped with a salad.
Qingyi cocked an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Captain, you've got thirty minutes, but from the look on your face, it's like you found out you're missing dessert again. Did J.D. finally text you?" she teased. "Wait, no—don't tell me... is he the Mayor's secret son? Or a kingpin in disguise?"
Seth's ears perked up, and he couldn't resist chiming in. "Or both? I mean, a kingpin Mayor's son sounds like a pretty wild combo. Maybe he runs asecret dessert cartel."
Zhu Yuan shot them both a deadpan stare shaking her head. "You two should start a podcast," she muttered, barely holding back a smile.
It was around 8 PM, and the precinct was winding down for the night. Patrol Officers from the night shift began trickling in, and to Zhu Yuan's surprise, one of them was theirconsultantJane Doe, an undercover agent like Elias.
"Hey, sweetie! Didn't know you were pulling extra hours these past few days," Jane greeted Zhu Yuan with a smirk, scanning the room. "So... where'sthe suspect?"
Zhu Yuan blinked in confusion. "Suspect?" She turned to look at Seth, eyebrow raised.
Seth shuffled awkwardly, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. "...Uhm, Captain, I might've mentioned to Jane that we needed someone to interrogate Mr. Smith's suspect. You know... for backup," he mumbled, swallowing hard like a kid caught sneaking a cookie before dinner. "So, she kinda... volunteered."
Zhu Yuan crossed her arms, giving Seth a pointed look. "Without consulting me first? Seriously?"
She then turned to Jane, forcing a smile. "No, Jane, we'll be interrogating him...in our way."
Jane, who had a reputation for being a little too persuasive during interrogations, raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Zhu. Don't you trust me to handle a suspect?" She glanced at Seth, who was now scratching his head nervously. "Told you, your captain's really not cut out for the rough stuff."
Seth, desperate to escape the tension, gave an awkward grin. "I-I thought we could use all the help we could get. Plus, you know Jane's methods are... uh, effective. Remember The Mountain Lion case?"
Zhu Yuan sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm aware... Effective at scaring people into submission. I'd like to avoid having the suspect confess just because he's afraid of being dunked in a trash can."
Jane laughed, cracking her knuckles. "Trash can, huh? Haven't tried that one yet. Might add it to therepertoire."
Zhu Yuan shook her head, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Let's just stick to the basics tonight, alright?" glancing at her watch, feeling a bit anxious. "It's getting late, and we still need to have a dinner. And, Jane—please,you don't even know what case we're dealing with yet."
Jane, ever the diva, strutted ahead like she was on a fashion runway, tapping Zhu Yuan's shoulder with a perfectly manicured finger. "Okay, fine... I'll justhelp in other way.I'll leave the interrogation to you." she said with a mischievous wink.
As Jane strutted out of the office, Zhu Yuan found herself staring at the empty dessert boxes on her desk. Wait a minute... Could she really be the one sending me these? Her mind raced, piecing together the clues. Jane... J.D... Jane Doe. J.D...She remembered what the café owner had told her. It actually makes sense, doesn't it?
Then she shook her head, trying to snap out of it. Nah, focus, Zhu Yuan. Besides, we're both attractive ladies. Maybe I'm overthinking this...
While she was busy packing her things for their meeting with Elias, her nose huffing in frustration, Seth finally spoke up, his voice quiet and full of regret.
"Sorry, Captain... I didn't think Jane would take my joke seriously."
Zhu Yuan stayed silent, her gaze fixed in what she was doing, the weight of the situation pressing down on them both. The room felt heavier.
Qingyi, ever perceptive, seemed to notice the shift in the atmosphere.
Zhu Yuan sighed and finally turned to Seth, her expression hardened. "No, Seth. It's not about Jane taking things too seriously. It's about her not knowing we're working with Mr. Smith—an undercover agent. Sharing any case details with her, even by accident, could blow everything. I volunteered to help him with this, and I'm not about to be the reason his case falls apart."
Seth's ears drooped, like a scolded puppy, guilt written all over his face. If he could have, he'd probably be hiding under the table by now.
"Just convince Jane that this mission is critical. Don't touch the suspect without my permission."
"A-Affirmative, Captain!" he stammered, awkwardly saluting before bolting off like someone's mom had just yelled at him for leaving the milk out too long.
"We'll wait for you outside so make it fast Seth."