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month record rogue 5 8 1
'The usual, Loubaan.'
After her nightly patrol, Ch'en visits her usual noodle cart located right behind the L.G.D. headquarters for a late-night snack. Hoshiguma is still inside the office training rookies, while Swire and Lin Yühsia are stuck at some boring and superfluous cocktail party with the city's elites, somewhere in one of the town's many skyscrapers. Without her friends by her side, all she can do is enjoy her solitary gourmet time. However—
She sweeps her eyes over the area. Late-night Lungmen remains just as bright as it is during the day. The seats are packed with those spilling out their hardships along with their drinks, or talking business. Others are like her, here to reward themselves for a hard day's work.
As she waits for her noodles to arrive, a tourist with an 'I ♥ LM' cap on sits across from her. A young man with long hair, obviously here to check out the city. And so she tries to make some simple small talk, recommending a few dishes from the stall.
Soon, two bowls and some side dishes find their way to the table. Chewy noodles, thick broth, and flavorful finballs. To Ch'en, this is the perfect source of solace when exhausted.
But tonight... something seems off.
What she ingests feels like... suffering, like a rainy night, like her parents' departure, like a farewell to her kin...
As she looks up from her bowl, her surroundings also change—
City walls close in, cutting off streets and dimming lights. Now, she is the only one at the noodle cart, in near darkness, accompanied by a handful of humanoid shadows slowly crawling towards her.
A looming sense of danger keeps Ch'en on her toes. She instinctively reaches for Chi Xiao, but the sword is missing from its scabbard.
Her communicator and terminal have no signal either. Unable to seek any form of outside help, she can only dash towards the nearest staircase as the shadows close in on her.
The corridor is dead silent, save for Ch'en's panting and cursing. Every floor is no different—the relentless shadows chasing her from below are the only thing keeping her from thinking she is stuck on the same floor, endlessly repeated.
Below her surges a turbid swarm of shadows, while endless flights of stairs await above. The surrounding oddities cage her in torment, compelling her to yield.
But Ch'en never flinches. She does not cower—she does not even know how.
Amidst her endless evasion, she begins calculating how long it takes for the shadows to close in, and uses the spare pockets of time to search every room she passes by.
Inside, she finds the Black Cloaks, her father, Wei Yenwu, Tal's eyes... Everything she fears, is stuffed into each and every room.
They may be intangible, but they press down on her mind all the same, making her fear, making her cower...
Just as she is thinking that these rooms hold only torment, she opens the last door to find Chi Xiao.
A Chi Xiao with no light.
Obviously, Chi Xiao does not fully accept her, just as she is unable to respond to it. But at this critical juncture, she could not care less, and once she confirms the blade is unable to cleave through the shadows, she returns it to its scabbard and swings it at the wall.
Bang!
A huge hole forms in the wall, and an upside-down Lungmen appears before her.
Ch'en leaps out, and falls into the horizon of steel and neon.
...
'Officer? Officer, wake up.'
Ch'en wakes up at the noodle cart stall to find her dinner companion gently prodding her awake. The other customers have long since left, and the cart owner is watching them from a distance, waiting to pack up and go home.
'Your sword, ma'am. It fell on the ground.'
Ch'en takes the blade and thanks the tourist. She re-affixes Chi Xiao to her belt, and prepares to return to the dormitory after paying for her meal.
Wait. Why was Chi Xiao in his hands?
'Loubaan, where did that tourist who ate with me earlier go?'
'Tourist? What tourist? You were alone the whole night, dear. Even had a nice lil' snooze after your meal.'
As an officer, she immediately senses something is off. Was he a thief trying to steal Chi Xiao? Or a Caster well-versed in illusions? No matter who he was, she has no reason to let this go.
*Bzzzzzt*—
'Hello? Ch'en here.'
'Mr. Wei wants me in tomorrow? To take over that pharma company's case?'
'Alright, understood.'
Chen lingers for a moment before ultimately returning to the L.G.D. building. The young man hiding behind the electrical pole finally heaves a long sigh of relief.
'I should've known not to be so impatient with Chi Xiao. Couldn't even get it out of its scabbard.'
'If Superintendent Ch'en really turns the city upside down looking for me...'
'Oh well. It's a long quest, and if I have enough of anything, it's time.'
'Chi Xiao will eventually be mine.'
