Troublesome Duo
“Eta, I will have to cut your salary for this.”
“Chief, I didn’t really mean to do it.”
Eta is in trouble after she cut someone in half. Said someone is from the Ji Ceng syndicate.
It is her right to do it since the bastard thinks he can get our services for free. Eta lost her temper and cuts the man from the middle of his head, down to his manhood, cleanly in half.
“Doesn’t matter. He is a Ji Ceng officer and you butchered him. I have a friend who managed to talk down their Enforcer but still we’ll have to meet up with them explain ourselves.”
For the first time I couldn’t control my mouth and spoke up.
“Will that be wise? Grass Roots officers aren’t exactly what I call amiable. They are true believers of the Yi Xie Huan Xie.”
Eta tilts her head to the side.
“What does that mean?”
“Blood for blood.”
Kei palms her face. She thinks hard for a second before turning her attention to the corpse wrapped in a body bag in the corner of the room.
Kei’s mood is usually tamed. She’s usually in that middle-ground where she usually doesn't give a shit until something like this happens where she has to give a shit. She leaves the sofa and makes a call.
Eta’s perpetual smile withers at the sight of that.
“Ah, I think she’s mad at me.”
I did not make a comment. Eta slides in the backrest of the sofa. After Kei finishes her call, she picks her coat and carries her cane with her.
“We’ll have to meet up with them in the Celestial Garden.”
“You’ll have to come too.”
“Okay.”
I follow them to the Celestial Garden where they are meeting the Ji Ceng representative. He is accompanied by his colleagues and there are about fifteen outside and fifteen inside that are occupying the building. Kei’s nerves tighten and Eta is keeping her smile while hauling the corpse of the person she split into two on her shoulder.
The Celestial Garden has a peaceful backyard with cherry blossom trees standing next to these Garden Pagodas.
The meeting place is not outside and is in a room where we can see the cherry blossoms and smell the somewhat filtered air.
“I am Fu Ming.”
He takes out his business card. He hands three of it. I inspect the card and it says on the card that they are part of a cleaning company. Fu Jie’s Cleaning Company.
“I’ve heard of this accident. May I ask what happened according to your side?”
Fu Ming is very calm and respectful. This makes Kei more wary and somewhat worried about what this Fu Ming might do. He is that kind who can calmly talk and weigh the pros and cons before taking action. Kei knows this so she objectively talks to Fu Ming while making sure he is reminded her office is affiliated with the Seven Swords Association.
Fu Ming joins his fingers and listens to the event without missing a single word. The Professionalism that this Fu Ming conducts himself with is making even Eta visibly concerned. After all, There is nothing more worse than a reasonable person right now.
“I will discuss it with my compatriots. Would that be fine?”
“Of course. When shall we resume the discussion?”
Fu Ming eyes his watch.
1 PM, will that suffice?”
“Of course. Eta, leave that here.”
Eta places the tightly packed corpse on the table while keeping that harrowing smile of hers.
Kei stands up and leads the way. We left the Celestial Gardens and found a ramen shop nearby. We ordered three pork noodles.
“We’re screwed.”
“Ah?”
Eta flinched. Kei’s face is gloomy.
“I wonder how much they are pricing our organs, already?”
Eta looks at me.
“W-what do you mean?”
Kei stirs the bowl with her chopsticks and then sighs.
“Their cleaning company is a front for organ harvesting, Eta. That Fu Ming, he looked at you more as a product than a person.”
Eta sighs and drops her shoulder.
“Ah, I messed up really bad.”
Kei points her chopsticks at her.
“Your temper is very bad. I told you to be composed all the time.”
“B-but that bastard didn’t pay after we went and solve the case! It’s bad for business if they think we can be pushed around like this!”
Kei looks annoyed. As much as Eta messed up, she is right. Changye respects strength. And if you can’t push back, then they’ll take you for granted, and try to exploit you as much as possible until not a single damn thing is left.
The previous offices I’ve been to ended like that. Some were too idealistic to survive and most were too greedy and went too far and failed.
“Boss, I don’t want to be harvested!”
Kei looks at her tiredly.
“Maybe they’ll settle if you fuck them. Your body ain’t bad. Your ass is bubbly that maybe they’ll enjoy slapping it around ”
“Not a chance!”
“Then what do you want to do, eh? I can just leave you behind and make you sort out this mess of yours!”
Kei stares at the ceiling. Then to the menu. She finds that sake is on the menu and orders one to drink to calm her nerves.
“We have till 1 PM to solve this problem. Eta, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t want you to make more trouble for me right now.”
Kei raises her drink and looks at me.
“Can you visit this address for me?”
She takes out her ballpoint pen and scratches down an address on the paper.
My face hardens reading the address she wrote.
Alloy Springs is in the industrial zone of Lower Changye. It hosts factories and production units contributing to the city’s economic growth. It’s also the hotbed of the Syndicates who set up their shops and butchering stations.
“Sorry. But someone had to go and I can’t let this fool go there. She’ll make a mess again.”
“There’s a contact in this place?”
“Yes. If you see a guy who looks like he ate shit then that’s probably your contact, Vaun.”
“Eh, you’re going to use that favor?”
“What? You don’t want me to use that? I can bring you to a good shop for a nice mini bikini or whatever costume you want to be fucked in!”
Eta looks down. Kei without her patience can be overbearing. I finished my bowl and stood up.
“I’ll get to it then.”
***
I breathe into the respirator I carry in my jacket as I enter Alloy Springs. The smog is terrible. There is always something sticky in the air here
I called the contact number.
“Who’s this?”
“I’m working on behalf of Kei’s Office.”
“Ah, the newbie. I heard.”
I feel a gaze on me. I turn to the direction where the gaze is.
“Good, I guess Kei doesn’t hire incompetents. Follow my gaze.”
I followed the gaze until I found the purple-eyed man in a gray striped suit smoking a cigar.
“This will clear Kei’s favor and you are the witness.”
“I am.”
“Very well.”
His posture. His bearing. The way he took out a sword out of nowhere is enough for me to understand that I’m standing in front of a Graded Agent.
Agents are Graded based on the monsters they are able to handle. Those who have managed to slay a CODE ORANGE, that of a demon or of similar strength gain traits that distort them as humans and are graded accordingly.
The first Singularity was when the world saw the Anomalies on the moon. When Mr. Armstrong strangled a thin Anomaly in the moon, he changed, and everything changed.
Something broke. A veil was lifted and the suddenly the world started fighting monsters and anomalies.
Vaun is one of those monsters. He is clearly an HG Graded Agent whose skills are that on par with a demon. He takes a step to where the target is and he turns the guard in the front to just a stain on the door.
I follow him inside. The entrance hall has two men cleaved in half. Beyond the double door is a chamber with conveyer belts.
Vaun did not discriminate. Everyone who got in his way got cut down, leaving only a splatter and a sword cuts on the floor. Bits of gore and pieces of their bodies are left on the ground. I checked their ID’s and raised their wrist and found the Ji Ceng mark. Those who were in the conveyor belts didn’t have the Ji Ceng mark. Probably civilians. I thoroughly searched their pockets, took out the cash, and bagged the wallets of those who have the Ji Ceng mark. The factory is 2-story high and the upper floor seems to be the office of these people. As I climbed I noticed the pungent smell and found the storage area where they keep the organs before packing them into the boxes. Human organs are priced well while artificial ones are moderately priced.
I took a look at the inventory. 457 human organs and 352 artificial ones. There’s also 10 Anom hearts in the inventory which are priced highly on the market.
I took the copy with me and climbed up. Most of the employees in the office have been cut down. I checked the employees wallets and pocket the bills from their wallets and bagged them.
I reached the Site Manager’s office. His head was on his lap and on the desk was Vaun huffing a cigar. His sword’s padded with bits of blood and bile.
“You’re used to this.”
I took out the inventory list and handed it over to him. A tiny smile appears on Vaun.
“This will cost quite a fortune. I guess I can buy a few more cigars with this.”
I showed him the wallets I bagged. He takes a glance at my padded wallet and grins.
“A Professional Scavenger too. Keep the spare bills. The data on his work computer will suffice.”
I check the computer. Did a keyword search and found all that I needed in one folder. Their boss is organized at least. His computer also has a lot of notes and his bank card information.
I siphoned the account to mine and used the cash to hire a cleaning company that rivals theirs. Vaun also told me his preferred company to move the inventory and he wants the organs transported to a warehouse he leased.
“Using their money to clean up their bodies. A classic by the book move. Good job, Assistant.”
I took out the computer's hard drive too and picked up the head of the site manager. He was leaking blood so I had to empty his head for a bit before wrapping him into a cloth and a nylon bag.
“Not going to collect the heads?”
“Too much time.”
Each head should have a bounty if they are Ji Ceng members, but I don’t have the time to do so right now.
“Tell Kei we’re done. If she wants another favor then she needs to go to the proper connections this time.”
“Of course. Will you wait for the transport to arrive, then?”
“Yeah. It’s a fortune downstairs and I don’t want their grubby hands thinking that they can take some for free. Ah, I almost forgot, tell Kei that she shouldn’t mingle with Von-Abel too much. The Shichinin no Ken is reasonable most of the time, but like every associate of the Bureau. They are worshippers of Plutus and Caishen.”
I wonder why he mentioned the gods of wealth.
“Got it. Do you have any other messages?”
“No. You can leave now, Assistant.”
I took the head with me and got out of the factory. Despite the slaughter. Alloy Springs remain the same. A smog-filled hellhole that cares more about the productivity of its factories more than whatever had happened here.
“Who am I to judge when I’m carrying a head?”
I shook my head and left Alloy Springs. I could hear the trucks somewhere. When it comes to profit, these companies sure are fast. Then again, I’d want to make a good impression with an HG Graded Agent too.
I took the service train and walked back to the Celestial Gardens. I walk in and enter the room where they should be meeting.
Inside the room, Eta just gutted another Ji Ceng member. There’s a hand on the floor near Kei. Kei’s face is so haggard. Her perpetual frown and annoyance contrasts her and Eta’s face.
Eta is in a state of berserker rage. Her professional smile is long gone. The room is frosty and I can hear the members behind my back sheathing their weapons the moment they saw what’s happening inside.
Kei looks at me.
“You got it?”
“Yes.”
I placed the cleaning site manager's head and the wallets I bagged on the table. Fu Ming glances at the head and wallets and sighs.
Kei raises her cane and blocks a strike. Eta moves in and carved a chunk out of Fu Ming’s bodyguard, separating their torso from their lower bodies.
Fu Ming’s fake’s skin got shredded by the strike and yet he raises his forearms in front of his face and took a boxing stance while facing Eta and Kei.
Sighing to myself, I drew my spare sword as well and turned to the guys in the back warily.
Troublesome Duo
“Eta, I will have to cut your salary for this.”
“Chief, I didn’t really mean to do it.”
Eta is in trouble after she cut someone in half. Said someone is from the Ji Ceng syndicate.
It is her right to do it since the bastard thinks he can get our services for free. Eta lost her temper and cuts the man from the middle of his head, down to his manhood, cleanly in half.
“Doesn’t matter. He is a Ji Ceng officer and you butchered him. I have a friend who managed to talk down their Enforcer but still we’ll have to meet up with them explain ourselves.”
For the first time I couldn’t control my mouth and spoke up.
“Will that be wise? Grass Roots officers aren’t exactly what I call amiable. They are true believers of the Yi Xie Huan Xie.”
Eta tilts her head to the side.
“What does that mean?”
“Blood for blood.”
Kei palms her face. She thinks hard for a second before turning her attention to the corpse wrapped in a body bag in the corner of the room.
Kei’s mood is usually tamed. She’s usually in that middle-ground where she usually doesn't give a shit until something like this happens where she has to give a shit. She leaves the sofa and makes a call.
Eta’s perpetual smile withers at the sight of that.
“Ah, I think she’s mad at me.”
I did not make a comment. Eta slides in the backrest of the sofa. After Kei finishes her call, she picks her coat and carries her cane with her.
“We’ll have to meet up with them in the Celestial Garden.”
“You’ll have to come too.”
“Okay.”
I follow them to the Celestial Garden where they are meeting the Ji Ceng representative. He is accompanied by his colleagues and there are about fifteen outside and fifteen inside that are occupying the building. Kei’s nerves tighten and Eta is keeping her smile while hauling the corpse of the person she split into two on her shoulder.
The Celestial Garden has a peaceful backyard with cherry blossom trees standing next to these Garden Pagodas.
The meeting place is not outside and is in a room where we can see the cherry blossoms and smell the somewhat filtered air.
“I am Fu Ming.”
He takes out his business card. He hands three of it. I inspect the card and it says on the card that they are part of a cleaning company. Fu Jie’s Cleaning Company.
“I’ve heard of this accident. May I ask what happened according to your side?”
Fu Ming is very calm and respectful. This makes Kei more wary and somewhat worried about what this Fu Ming might do. He is that kind who can calmly talk and weigh the pros and cons before taking action. Kei knows this so she objectively talks to Fu Ming while making sure he is reminded her office is affiliated with the Seven Swords Association.
Fu Ming joins his fingers and listens to the event without missing a single word. The Professionalism that this Fu Ming conducts himself with is making even Eta visibly concerned. After all, There is nothing more worse than a reasonable person right now.
“I will discuss it with my compatriots. Would that be fine?”
“Of course. When shall we resume the discussion?”
Fu Ming eyes his watch.
1 PM, will that suffice?”
“Of course. Eta, leave that here.”
Eta places the tightly packed corpse on the table while keeping that harrowing smile of hers.
Kei stands up and leads the way. We left the Celestial Gardens and found a ramen shop nearby. We ordered three pork noodles.
“We’re screwed.”
“Ah?”
Eta flinched. Kei’s face is gloomy.
“I wonder how much they are pricing our organs, already?”
Eta looks at me.
“W-what do you mean?”
Kei stirs the bowl with her chopsticks and then sighs.
“Their cleaning company is a front for organ harvesting, Eta. That Fu Ming, he looked at you more as a product than a person.”
Eta sighs and drops her shoulder.
“Ah, I messed up really bad.”
Kei points her chopsticks at her.
“Your temper is very bad. I told you to be composed all the time.”
“B-but that bastard didn’t pay after we went and solve the case! It’s bad for business if they think we can be pushed around like this!”
Kei looks annoyed. As much as Eta messed up, she is right. Changye respects strength. And if you can’t push back, then they’ll take you for granted, and try to exploit you as much as possible until not a single damn thing is left.
The previous offices I’ve been to ended like that. Some were too idealistic to survive and most were too greedy and went too far and failed.
“Boss, I don’t want to be harvested!”
Kei looks at her tiredly.
“Maybe they’ll settle if you fuck them. Your body ain’t bad. Your ass is bubbly that maybe they’ll enjoy slapping it around ”
“Not a chance!”
“Then what do you want to do, eh? I can just leave you behind and make you sort out this mess of yours!”
Kei stares at the ceiling. Then to the menu. She finds that sake is on the menu and orders one to drink to calm her nerves.
“We have till 1 PM to solve this problem. Eta, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t want you to make more trouble for me right now.”
Kei raises her drink and looks at me.
“Can you visit this address for me?”
She takes out her ballpoint pen and scratches down an address on the paper.
My face hardens reading the address she wrote.
Alloy Springs is in the industrial zone of Lower Changye. It hosts factories and production units contributing to the city’s economic growth. It’s also the hotbed of the Syndicates who set up their shops and butchering stations.
“Sorry. But someone had to go and I can’t let this fool go there. She’ll make a mess again.”
“There’s a contact in this place?”
“Yes. If you see a guy who looks like he ate shit then that’s probably your contact, Vaun.”
“Eh, you’re going to use that favor?”
“What? You don’t want me to use that? I can bring you to a good shop for a nice mini bikini or whatever costume you want to be fucked in!”
Eta looks down. Kei without her patience can be overbearing. I finished my bowl and stood up.
“I’ll get to it then.”
***
I breathe into the respirator I carry in my jacket as I enter Alloy Springs. The smog is terrible. There is always something sticky in the air here
I called the contact number.
“Who’s this?”
“I’m working on behalf of Kei’s Office.”
“Ah, the newbie. I heard.”
I feel a gaze on me. I turn to the direction where the gaze is.
“Good, I guess Kei doesn’t hire incompetents. Follow my gaze.”
I followed the gaze until I found the purple-eyed man in a gray striped suit smoking a cigar.
“This will clear Kei’s favor and you are the witness.”
“I am.”
“Very well.”
His posture. His bearing. The way he took out a sword out of nowhere is enough for me to understand that I’m standing in front of a Graded Agent.
Agents are Graded based on the monsters they are able to handle. Those who have managed to slay a CODE ORANGE, that of a demon or of similar strength gain traits that distort them as humans and are graded accordingly.
The first Singularity was when the world saw the Anomalies on the moon. When Mr. Armstrong strangled a thin Anomaly in the moon, he changed, and everything changed.
Something broke. A veil was lifted and the suddenly the world started fighting monsters and anomalies.
Vaun is one of those monsters. He is clearly an HG Graded Agent whose skills are that on par with a demon. He takes a step to where the target is and he turns the guard in the front to just a stain on the door.
I follow him inside. The entrance hall has two men cleaved in half. Beyond the double door is a chamber with conveyer belts.
Vaun did not discriminate. Everyone who got in his way got cut down, leaving only a splatter and a sword cuts on the floor. Bits of gore and pieces of their bodies are left on the ground. I checked their ID’s and raised their wrist and found the Ji Ceng mark. Those who were in the conveyor belts didn’t have the Ji Ceng mark. Probably civilians. I thoroughly searched their pockets, took out the cash, and bagged the wallets of those who have the Ji Ceng mark. The factory is 2-story high and the upper floor seems to be the office of these people. As I climbed I noticed the pungent smell and found the storage area where they keep the organs before packing them into the boxes. Human organs are priced well while artificial ones are moderately priced.
I took a look at the inventory. 457 human organs and 352 artificial ones. There’s also 10 Anom hearts in the inventory which are priced highly on the market.
I took the copy with me and climbed up. Most of the employees in the office have been cut down. I checked the employees wallets and pocket the bills from their wallets and bagged them.
I reached the Site Manager’s office. His head was on his lap and on the desk was Vaun huffing a cigar. His sword’s padded with bits of blood and bile.
“You’re used to this.”
I took out the inventory list and handed it over to him. A tiny smile appears on Vaun.
“This will cost quite a fortune. I guess I can buy a few more cigars with this.”
I showed him the wallets I bagged. He takes a glance at my padded wallet and grins.
“A Professional Scavenger too. Keep the spare bills. The data on his work computer will suffice.”
I check the computer. Did a keyword search and found all that I needed in one folder. Their boss is organized at least. His computer also has a lot of notes and his bank card information.
I siphoned the account to mine and used the cash to hire a cleaning company that rivals theirs. Vaun also told me his preferred company to move the inventory and he wants the organs transported to a warehouse he leased.
“Using their money to clean up their bodies. A classic by the book move. Good job, Assistant.”
I took out the computer's hard drive too and picked up the head of the site manager. He was leaking blood so I had to empty his head for a bit before wrapping him into a cloth and a nylon bag.
“Not going to collect the heads?”
“Too much time.”
Each head should have a bounty if they are Ji Ceng members, but I don’t have the time to do so right now.
“Tell Kei we’re done. If she wants another favor then she needs to go to the proper connections this time.”
“Of course. Will you wait for the transport to arrive, then?”
“Yeah. It’s a fortune downstairs and I don’t want their grubby hands thinking that they can take some for free. Ah, I almost forgot, tell Kei that she shouldn’t mingle with Von-Abel too much. The Shichinin no Ken is reasonable most of the time, but like every associate of the Bureau. They are worshippers of Plutus and Caishen.”
I wonder why he mentioned the gods of wealth.
“Got it. Do you have any other messages?”
“No. You can leave now, Assistant.”
I took the head with me and got out of the factory. Despite the slaughter. Alloy Springs remain the same. A smog-filled hellhole that cares more about the productivity of its factories more than whatever had happened here.
“Who am I to judge when I’m carrying a head?”
I shook my head and left Alloy Springs. I could hear the trucks somewhere. When it comes to profit, these companies sure are fast. Then again, I’d want to make a good impression with an HG Graded Agent too.
I took the service train and walked back to the Celestial Gardens. I walk in and enter the room where they should be meeting.
Inside the room, Eta just gutted another Ji Ceng member. There’s a hand on the floor near Kei. Kei’s face is so haggard. Her perpetual frown and annoyance contrasts her and Eta’s face.
Eta is in a state of berserker rage. Her professional smile is long gone. The room is frosty and I can hear the members behind my back sheathing their weapons the moment they saw what’s happening inside.
Kei looks at me.
“You got it?”
“Yes.”
I placed the cleaning site manager's head and the wallets I bagged on the table. Fu Ming glances at the head and wallets and sighs.
Kei raises her cane and blocks a strike. Eta moves in and carved a chunk out of Fu Ming’s bodyguard, separating their torso from their lower bodies.
Fu Ming’s fake’s skin got shredded by the strike and yet he raises his forearms in front of his face and took a boxing stance while facing Eta and Kei.
Sighing to myself, I drew my spare sword as well and turned to the guys in the back warily.
