Another day dawned over New Eridu, though the city didn't seem in the mood to greet it. The skies wore a grim shade of gray, and the air carried the sharp bite of an impending storm. It was the kind of weather that made you want to stay buried under a warm blanket—or at least, wish you'd called in sick.
But let's not get too cozy. Instead, let's pay a visit to our hardworking Captain. Last we saw her, she was at Random Play, fainting mid-inquiry. A dramatic exit, wouldn't you say? So naturally, you'd expect her to wake up in... wait, is this her apartment?
Yes, dear reader, her apartment bedroom. But how?
Zhu lay sprawled on her bed, still dressed in her uniform, though its top buttons were undone, revealing the faint creases of a long night. Her high-waisted pants remained intact, but her belt had been carelessly tossed onto the floor beside the bed. Her coat, looking as weary as its owner, hung half-heartedly over the armrest of her couch, as if it had been dropped there by someone in a rush—or perhaps someone too tired to care.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she stirred with a groggy sigh, her body sinking into the mattress for a moment longer. Then her eyes cracked open, foggy and unfocused. "Belle...?" Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. She sat up abruptly, as if jolted by an invisible alarm, her gaze darting around the room.
The familiar surroundings didn't reassure her. Her brow furrowed as she rubbed her temples. "Wait... what in a Hollow's depths happened?" she murmured to herself, her words heavy with confusion.
Her eyes fell to the wristwatch still snug around her arm. "5 AM," she read aloud, her tone shifting to disbelief. "How did I end up here?" One hand went to her forehead, fingers pressing against her skin as though she could massage clarity into the muddled events of the previous night.
She paused, taking stock of herself. The exhaustion that had clung to her bones the night before was gone, replaced by a startling sense of restfulness. Her body felt... light, almost unreasonably so.
The faintest breeze from the slightly ajar window brushed against her face, carrying with it the cool scent of the brewing storm outside. Her eyes flicked to the couch and then to the belt on the floor, her thoughts spiraling through the possibilities. But no matter how much she retraced the steps of the night, there was one glaring gap in her memory.
Her gaze lingered on the coat for a moment longer, and an uneasy chuckle slipped out. "Either I'm losing my mind, or someone's got a strange sense of hospitality," she she stood, stretching her arms over her head, the sensation of being well-rested conflicted with the nagging mystery. The storm outside gave a low growl, as if mocking her predicament.
The hot water from the shower did wonders to ease her nerves. Wrapped in a soft towel, Zhu padded into the kitchen, brewing her usual morning coffee—black, no sugar, just the way she liked it. The rich aroma filled the apartment, grounding her in the moment. For once, her mind wasn't clouded by case files or PUBSEC briefings.
Instead, a certain someone kept popping into her thoughts. Elias. The man who had ghosted her without so much as a "thanks for your time." She found herself staring at the wall, as though the faint patterns in the plaster might somehow spell out the answers she sought. Spoiler: they didn't.
After her shower, Zhu stood before the mirror, combing through her damp hair. That's when she noticed it—a faint, reddened spot just below her jawline. She leaned in for a closer look, squinting. An insect bite? She gave it a dismissive shrug, dabbing on a bit of cream. "Great. First, he ghosts me, and now I'm fending off vampire mosquitos. What's next?"
Back in the living room, coffee in hand, Zhu flopped onto the couch and picked up her phone. Predictably, a barrage of texts awaited her from last night. All from Jane.
"Captain, you got home?"
"Heyyyy Cap?"
"Capppp!"
"Seriously, are you ignoring me?"
Zhu rolled her eyes, tossing her phone onto the cushion beside her with a little scoff. "Jane must think I'm a teenager sneaking out past curfew." She let out a small laugh but didn't bother replying. Let her sweat a little.
Then, almost absentmindedly, her thumb hovered over another contact in her phone: the one Lighter had shared with her. The one tied to Elias or let's say Jaxon the technician.
Her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Would it hurt to send him some gibberish? Maybe 'hi' in all caps. Or better yet, a random emoji sequence?" She muttered to herself, toying with the idea. It wasn't her usual style, but something about rattling his cage felt... oddly , she hesitated. The cursor blinked back at her expectantly, her finger hovering over the keypad. Decisions, decisions.
She stared at the empty message field, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Keep it professional, she told herself, nodding firmly. Her thumbs moved quickly."Please be at the Janus station for questioning."
She read it over, frowning. "Too formal. He'll know it's me in an instant." With a dramatic sigh, she propped her chin on her hand and hit next attempt was... less conventional.
"Hello stranger, would you mind sparing some Dennies for the orphans?"
Zhu blinked at the screen. "Wait, what am I? A street magician? No way that'll work." Another heavy sigh as her thumb mashed the backspace key.
After what felt like an eternity of indecision, she typed the simplest thing she could think of: "Hi. 😃"
She stared at the little smiley face as if it had betrayed her. "Really? That's it? I'm supposed to be PUBSEC's finest, and this is the best I've got?"
Her thumb hovered over the send button like it weighed a thousand pounds. Dramatically, Zhu turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut. "If I don't see it, it doesn't count," she muttered, pressing send in one exaggerated motion.
The soft ding of the sent message echoed in the quiet room, snapping her back to reality."Oh no. No, no, no!" Panic bubbled in her chest as the realization hit her. She lunged to unsend it, but the cursed little "sent" icon stared back at her smugly. It was too late.
She sank back into the couch, biting her lip. "This is totally not me. Who is this person?!" She groaned, throwing her head back against the cushion.
Her phone sat innocently in her hand, the screen mocking her with the single word and emoji she'd sent. Now, all she could do was wait.
The television buzzed in the background as Zhu went about her morning, coffee in hand and slippers dragging softly against the floor. The screen flickered with the usual chaos: a reporter standing amid a roaring protest, colorful signs waving behind him, all about that controversial New Dawn Horizon project.
Cut to a re-enactment of the Golden Eridu Hotel heist—shadowy figures darting through dim hallways like something out of a low-budget crime thriller. Zhu took a long sip from her mug, smirking as the narrator's dramatic voice-over tried to turn a robbery into an epic saga.
"What a great time to be alive in New Eridu," she said dryly to no one in particular. She set the mug down and grabbed her phone, deciding to check the front door camera from last night. Curiosity—or maybe just the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right—led her to scroll through the footage.
When she got to the timestamp of her supposed return, she stopped.
On the tiny screen, there she was, casually walking through the front door like it was any other night. Except...
"I don't remember doing that," she murmured, tapping the play button again. There was nothing unusual in how she moved, but the whole thing felt strange, she was there, casually unlocking the door like a normal day. "That's oddly scary... what in a hollows happened last night?"
She scratched at her jaw, her fingers brushing over an itchy spot. As she rewound the footage, something clicked in her brain. Her eyes narrowed.
Wait. "Did I got this while searching on the 6th street last night?"
She zoomed in on her face in the video. Sure enough, her jawline was clear—no mark, no redness, no itching.
Her brow furrowed, and she leaned back, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, that's... weird." She glanced around her apartment. Everything looked perfectly normal. Her plants were still alive, her laundry was still unfolded, and the smell of yesterday's takeout still lingered faintly in the air.
But her pulse sped up anyway.
She looked back at the footage, replaying it a couple more times just to be sure. It felt like the kind of thing that would make sense once she had her second cup of coffee. Spoiler alert: it didn't.
"This feels...tampered with," she muttered, the words sounding ridiculous even as she said them. Who would tamper with her front door camera? Why? Was this her life now? How did she end up in her room even though she's at the Random Play?
She rubbed her temples, groaning softly. "Okay, Zhu. Don't spiral. It's fine. Totally fine." But her voice wasn't quite convincing, even to herself. She can't deny that this event was indeed a breach on her security.
Shoving her phone into her pocket, she grabbed her coat. Whatever this was, it was giving her a headache, and there was only one place she could think to go for answers."I need to go back to Random Play," she decided out loud, hoping saying it would make it feel less absurd.
She finished her coffee in one gulp—lukewarm, but who had time to care?—and turned off the TV. The protests, the heist, the endless noise of New Eridu faded into silence as she stepped out of the apartment.
Zhu walked briskly, the damp pavement slick under her boots as she navigated the morning streets. The rain had stopped, but the clouds above still hung heavy, threatening a second act. She glanced up at them briefly, shaking her head.
"Even the weather last night in the footage doesn't match today," she muttered, adjusting the collar of her coat against the lingering chill.
6th Street was a different world altogether. Barricades blocked the entrance, with PUBSEC forces standing at attention like grim statues. Business shutters were down, and a handful of locals hovered at a distance, shooting hostile glares toward the authorities. Zhu caught snippets of hushed complaints as she passed—something about lost sales, forced closures, and PUBSEC overreach.
Near the barricades, Qingyi stood with the forensics team, a sleek tablet in hand as she coordinated the search. Zhu strode up, brushing raindrops off her coat sleeves with a quick motion.
"Morning, team. Any leads?" she asked, her tone light but glanced up, her expression neutral but sharp. "The cameras around these spots weren't replaced. Turns out they've been non-functional since the last quarter." She tapped a few times on her tablet, pulling up what looked like maintenance logs.
"Well, that's convenient," Zhu replied dryly, her eyes scanning the quiet tilted her head slightly. "How's the investigation with Jane going?"
Zhu's lips quirked into a confident smirk. "Great breakthrough," she said, her pride shining through as her posture straightened. "I'll loop you in during the closed-door meeting later."Without missing a beat, she pivoted on her heel and started walking away. "Got to visit Random Play."
Qingyi arched an eyebrow, glancing sideways at Zhu's retreating figure. "You renting some videos?" she asked, a trace of humor in her voice. "They're closed, you know. Every establishment along 6th Street is. We barricaded all the entry and exit points—even the metro station."
"Closed?" Zhu repeated, more to herself than Qingyi, her pace never she arrived at Random Play, the sign confirmed Qingyi's words: CLOSED. Zhu stood for a moment, the sight of the darkened store behind the glass door testing her then, with a shrug that suggested either confidence or outright stubbornness, she rapped her knuckles sharply on the glass.
A soft glow illuminated the darkened store as the light inside flicked on. Zhu squinted slightly, catching the silhouette of someone approaching the door. She straightened, brushing the lingering raindrops from her coat with a practiced motion.
The doorknob creaked, and the door opened just halfway, revealing Wise standing there with a mug in hand.
"Officer? Good morning," he greeted casually, his tone warm, as if they were old friends meeting on a sunny day instead of a drizzly barricaded street.
"Uh, hey good morning, manager," Zhu replied, her voice carrying an awkward mix of formality and unease as she avoided his gaze. "Your store's closed?"
Wise gave a light shrug, sipping from his mug. "Yeah. No foot traffic with the street shut down. Figured there's no point in keeping it open." He gestured inside. "Want to come in?"
"Sure, sure..." Zhu hesitated, her response automatic but lacking conviction. She stepped inside, shrugging off her coat and draping it on the armrest of the couch near the door.
Wise moved behind the counter, flipping switches that brightened the store. The soft hum of old fluorescents filled the silence, casting a cozy glow over the aisles of VHS tapes and DVDs. Zhu, standing still for a moment, subtly swept her gaze across the room, her eyes flicking to corners and shelves, cataloging the surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.
"I don't remember leaving this place last night," she muttered under her breath, the words more for herself than anyone else.
"Where's Belle?" she asked after a beat, her voice adopting a casual edge.
Wise chuckled softly, leaning back against the counter. "Still asleep. Weather like this makes it hard to leave bed, doesn't it?" He paused, raising an eyebrow. "Got a preference for a hot drink, Officer?"
"No need for formalities, manager," Zhu replied, her tone dismissive. "I already had my coffee. Thanks."
"Just... call me Wise then." He playfully replies,
She stood up, moving toward the shelves lined with tapes. Her fingers brushed lightly against the spines as she feigned interest, her eyes still darting around, quietly taking note of every detail. "I'll keep this quick. How did I get home last night?" Her voice was sharp now, cutting through the casual air.
Wise, unfazed, tilted his head as if her question were as ordinary as asking for the time. "How did you get home?" he repeated, almost amused, before setting down his mug. "That's a weird question. You fainted here. After a bit, you came to and insisted on heading home on your own. Said you were fine."
Zhu stopped mid-step, turning back to face him. Her brow furrowed, her lips parting as if to say something, but the words didn't come.
"It's just..." she started, hesitating.
"Did something happen?" Wise asked, his tone now softer, laced with concern.
Zhu's mind raced. She could tell him, but that might drag him deeper into the tangled mess she was navigating. Trusting him could create more complications, maybe even make him a liability in her investigation.
Zhu crossed her arms, deflecting with a nonchalant shrug. "I may have left something at the store," she said lightly, though the faint edge in her voice betrayed her unease. "A dessert box takeaway—it's missing," she added, masking her true agenda.
Wise tapped his chin thoughtfully, his gaze drifting for a split second, almost imperceptibly, to the store's backroom. "Oh, we didn't see anything after you left. Maybe you misplaced it along the way?" His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of something—a hesitation she couldn't place.
"Why's the street barricaded?" he asked, his tone shifting to casual adopted her professional air. "We found out most of the security cameras around here haven't been working for a while. It's really unsafe for anyone to pass through when surveillance is down," she replied, offering him a measured smile. "Don't worry—it'll be fixed soon." Her words sounded rehearsed even to her own ears.
Wise nodded slowly, his fingers absently curling around the rim of his mug. "Makes sense. A shame, though. This street has always been... eventful."
Zhu let the comment hang as she walked toward the couch, her eyes sweeping across the store. Despite her attempt at casualness, her gaze lingered on the unlit corners, the untouched shelves, and the faint scent of old wood that seemed heavier today.
"Wise, make sure to review your videos—especially those unmarked tapes on your shelves," Zhu said, her tone balancing somewhere between firm and amused. "Deputy Chief Yanagi from HSO S6 told me she spotted 'that' unusual bangboo video." She paused, unable to suppress a wry chuckle as the memory surfaced. "You know, the same kind of contraband I saw in that stolen stash."
Pulling on her coat, she let out a sigh that was half-exasperation, half-resignation. "Anyway, thanks, Wise. If you notice anything weird, don't hesitate to call PUBSEC." She flashed a fleeting smile before turning to leave, her hand just brushing the door handle.
"Officer Zhu." His tone was light, but something in it pulled at her attention. "Sometimes things that don't make sense now... will, eventually." He gestured vaguely to the shelves. "Just like a good mystery film. You figure out the plot when the time's right."
She blinked at him, unsure if it was advice or deflection. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, stepping out into the gloomy, rain-dappled street.
The faint patter of rain filled the silence as she walked. Her steps felt heavier than usual, as if she were carrying the weight of unanswered questions. The drizzle blurred the edges of the city, the barricades ahead looming like a quiet accusation.
Even though she tried to convince herself otherwise, something about last night gnawed at her—a whisper of familiarity she couldn't quite place. And Wise's parting words echoed in her mind, leaving a trace she wasn't ready to chase.
To readers: This is pre-chapter 5 on Canon event. So Zhu Yuan definitely didn't know Wise and Belle are proxies yet! ~A