Troublesome Duo
"Eta, I will have to cut your salary for this."
"Chief, I didn't really mean to do it."
Eta was in trouble after she cut someone in half. Said someone was from the Ji Ceng syndicate.
It was her right to do it, since the bastard thought he could get our services for free. Eta lost her temper and cleaved the man from the middle of his head down to his manhood, cleanly in half.
"Doesn't matter. He was a Ji Ceng officer, and you butchered him. I have a friend who managed to talk down their enforcer, but we'll still have to meet up with them and 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 would call amiable. They are true believers of the Yi Xie Huan Xie."
Eta tilted her head to the side.
"What does that mean?"
"Blood for blood."
Kei palmed her face. She thought for a second before turning her attention to the corpse wrapped in a body bag in the corner of the room.
Kei's temper was usually restrained. She stayed in that middle ground where she didn't care much until something like this forced her to. She left the sofa and made a call.
Eta's perpetual smile withered at the sight of that.
"Ah, I think she's mad at me."
I didn't comment. Eta slid back into the sofa, sinking into the backrest. After Kei finished her call, she picked up her coat and took her cane.
"We'll have to meet them in the Celestial Garden."
She looked at me.
"You'll have to come too."
"Okay."
I followed them to the Celestial Garden, where they were meeting the Ji Ceng representative. He was accompanied by his colleagues, about fifteen outside and another fifteen inside, occupying the building. Kei's nerves tightened, and Eta maintained her smile while hauling the corpse of the man she split in two over her shoulder.
The Celestial Garden had a peaceful backyard, with cherry blossom trees standing beside garden pagodas.
The meeting place was indoors, in a room where we could see the cherry blossoms and smell the somewhat filtered air.
"I am Fu Ming."
He took out his business card and handed three copies to us. I inspected mine. It said they were part of a cleaning company — Fu Jie's Cleaning Company.
"I've heard of this incident. May I ask what happened, according to your side?"
Fu Ming was calm and respectful. That made Kei more wary, more concerned about what he might do. He was the type who could calmly weigh pros and cons before taking action. Kei knew this, so she spoke carefully, making sure to remind him that her office was affiliated with the Seven Swords Association.
Fu Ming steepled his fingers and listened to the account without missing a word. The professionalism he carried made even Eta visibly uneasy. There was nothing worse than a reasonable person in a situation like this.
"I will discuss this with my compatriots. Would that be fine?"
"Of course. When shall we resume the discussion?"
Fu Ming glanced at his watch.
"1 PM. Will that suffice?"
"Of course. Eta, leave that here."
Eta placed the tightly packed corpse on the table, still wearing that harrowing smile.
Kei stood and led the way. We left the Celestial Garden and found a ramen shop nearby. We ordered three bowls of pork noodles.
"We're screwed."
"Ah?"
Eta flinched. Kei's face was gloomy.
"I wonder how much they're pricing our organs already."
Eta looked at me.
"W-what do you mean?"
Kei stirred her bowl with her chopsticks and sighed.
"Their cleaning company is a front for organ harvesting, Eta. That Fu Ming—he looked at you more like a product than a person."
Eta sighed and dropped her shoulders.
"Ah, I messed up really bad."
Kei pointed her chopsticks at her.
"Your temper is a problem. I told you to stay composed at all times."
"But that bastard didn't pay after we solved the case! It's bad for business if they think they can push us around like that!"
Kei looked annoyed. As much as Eta messed up, she wasn't wrong. Changye respected strength. If you didn't push back, they would take advantage of you until there was nothing left.
The previous offices I had worked for ended like that. Some were too idealistic to survive, and most were too greedy and went too far.
"Boss, I don't want to be harvested!"
Kei looked at her tiredly.
"Maybe they'll settle if you sleep with them. Your body isn't bad. Your ass is bubbly enough that they might enjoy it."
"Not a chance!"
"Then what do you want to do? I can just leave you behind and let you deal with this mess yourself."
Kei stared at the ceiling, then at the menu. She noticed sake listed and ordered one, trying to calm her nerves.
"We have until 1 PM to solve this problem. Eta, you're not going anywhere. I don't want you making things worse right now."
Kei raised her drink and looked at me.
"Can you visit this address for me?"
She took out her ballpoint pen and scribbled an address on a piece of paper.
My expression hardened as I read it.
Alloy Springs was in the industrial zone of Lower Changye. It housed factories and production units that contributed to the city's economy. It was also a hotbed for syndicates, where they set up shops and butchering stations.
"Sorry. Someone has to go, and I can't let this fool go there. She'll just make another mess."
"There's a contact there?"
"Yes. If you see a guy who looks like he's eaten shit, that's probably your contact—Vaun."
"Eh, you're going to use that favor?"
"What? You don't want me to use it? I can bring you to a nice shop and get you something to wear instead."
Eta looked down. Kei, without patience, could be overbearing.
I finished my bowl and stood up.
"I'll get to it then."
—
I breathed into the respirator I carried in my jacket as I entered Alloy Springs. The smog was terrible. There was 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 felt a gaze on me. I turned toward where it came from.
"Good. I guess Kei doesn't hire incompetents. Follow my gaze."
I followed it until I found a 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 drew a sword out of nowhere — it was enough for me to understand that I was standing in front of a Graded Agent.
Agents were graded based on the monsters they were able to handle. Those who had managed to slay a CODE ORANGE — demons or entities of similar strength — gained traits that distorted them as humans and were graded accordingly.
The first Singularity was when the world saw the anomalies on the moon. When Mr. Armstrong strangled a thin anomaly on the moon, he changed, and everything changed.
Something broke. A veil was lifted, and suddenly the world was fighting monsters and anomalies.
Vaun was one of those monsters. He was clearly an HG Graded Agent, his skills on par with a demon. He took a step toward the target and turned the guard at the entrance into a stain on the door.
I followed him inside. The entrance hall had two men cleaved in half. Beyond the double doors was a chamber lined with conveyor belts.
Vaun did not discriminate. Everyone who got in his way was cut down, leaving only splatter and clean sword lines across the floor. Bits of gore and pieces of bodies were scattered everywhere.
I checked their IDs. I raised their wrists and found the Ji Ceng mark. Those on the conveyor belts didn't have the mark. Probably civilians. I searched their pockets, took out the cash, and bagged the wallets of those with the Ji Ceng mark.
The factory was two stories high, and the upper floor seemed to be their office. As I climbed, I noticed the pungent smell and found the storage area where they kept the organs before packing them into boxes. Human organs were priced high, while artificial ones were moderately priced.
I checked the inventory. Four hundred fifty-seven human organs and three hundred fifty-two artificial ones. There were also ten Anom hearts, priced highly on the market.
I took a copy with me and climbed further. Most of the employees in the office had already been cut down. I checked their wallets, pocketed the bills, and bagged them.
I reached the site manager's office. His head rested on his lap. On the desk, Vaun stood, exhaling cigar smoke. His sword was coated with bits of blood and bile.
"You're used to this."
I took out the inventory list and handed it to him. A faint smile appeared on Vaun's face.
"This will cost quite a fortune. I guess I can buy a few more cigars with this."
I showed him the wallets I had collected. He glanced at my already padded wallet and grinned.
"A professional scavenger too. Keep the spare bills. The data on his work computer will suffice."
I checked the computer. I ran a keyword search and found everything I needed in a single folder. Their boss was organized, at least. The computer also held notes and bank account details.
I siphoned the account into mine and used the funds to hire a cleaning company that rivaled theirs. Vaun also told me his preferred transport company. He wanted the organs moved to a warehouse he leased.
"Using their money to clean up their own bodies. A classic, by-the-book move. Good job, Assistant."
I removed the computer's hard drive and picked up the site manager's head. It was still leaking, so I drained what I could before wrapping it in cloth and sealing it in a nylon bag.
"Not going to collect the heads?"
"Too much time."
Each head would have a bounty if they were Ji Ceng members, but I didn't have the time for that.
"Tell Kei we're done. If she wants another favor, she needs to go through proper connections next time."
"Of course. Will you wait for the transport to arrive?"
"Yeah. There's a fortune downstairs, and I don't want anyone thinking they can take some for free. Ah, I almost forgot, tell Kei 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 worship Plutus and Caishen."
I wondered why he mentioned the gods of wealth.
"Got it. Any other messages?"
"No. You can leave now, Assistant."
I took the head with me and left the factory. Despite the slaughter, Alloy Springs remained the same, a smog-filled hellhole that cared more about productivity than whatever had just happened inside.
"Who am I to judge when I'm carrying a head?"
I shook my head and left Alloy Springs. I could already hear the trucks arriving. When it came to profit, these companies moved fast. Then again, I would too if I wanted to make a good impression on an HG Graded Agent.
I took the service train and returned to the Celestial Garden. I walked in and entered the room where the meeting was supposed to take place.
Inside, Eta had just gutted another Ji Ceng member. A severed hand lay on the floor near Kei. Kei's face looked haggard. Her usual restrained expression was strained thin, a sharp contrast to Eta's current state.
Eta was in a berserker rage. Her professional smile was gone. The room felt cold. Behind me, I could hear the men outside quietly sheathing their weapons as they realized what was happening inside.
Kei looked at me.
"You got it?"
"Yes."
I placed the site manager's head and the wallets I had collected on the table. Fu Ming glanced at them and sighed.
Kei raised her cane and blocked a strike. Eta moved in and carved a chunk out of Fu Ming's bodyguard, separating the torso from the lower half.
Fu Ming's fake skin tore from the impact, yet he raised his forearms and took a boxing stance, facing both Kei and Eta.
Sighing to myself, I drew my spare sword and turned toward the men behind me, watching them carefully.