Arcane Affairs Officer I: Alpha Team is in position. Initial scans suggest no risk of aftershocks. Permission granted to proceed with further support.
Arcane Affairs Officer II: Case ID 2085C39570. Target is now under control. The Transport Team will deliver it to the lab for further analysis.
Liang Yue: So, I saved it?
Poitier: Oh, God, don't make me relive it. You had me worried half to death!
Poitier: Do you have any idea how stupid that was? You dashed in right as they started firing! We all thought you were a goner.
Poitier: Wanna guess what happened? Go ahead. No? Yeah. You got shot, princess.
Liang Yue: What!? Did it get hit as well?
Poitier: Yeah, not that it did any good. Those heavy rounds were meant to subdue massive critters, but they didn't even faze it. All the bullets were dissolved when reaching its skin.
Poitier: I figure only someone as reckless and stupid as you could've subdued it. I still don't know how you managed to get up to its mouth with that sedative.
Poitier: Course, that was when you got hit with a roundāBOOMālights out. Thankfully, it was knocked out too, with you hanging from its neck.
Liang Yue: Is it still alive? Where is it?
Poitier: Whoa, whoa, calm down. You took a big hit, kid. We're not letting you go anywhere just yet.
Poitier's expression is tense and understated.
Poitier: Just be patient. Okay?
She pats her trainee's shoulder with sisterly affection.
Poitier: ā¦
Poitier: It's alive.
Liang Yue: sigh Thank goodness.
Liang Yue: Can I see it?
She starts to jolt up from her hospital bed, only for Poitier to force her back down.
Poitier: What part of "be patient" did you not get, cadet? Besides, I don't think you could stand even if I let you.
Poitier: ā¦
Liang Yue: ā¦?
The girl fixes her instructor with a stare and a clear question.
Poitier: ā¦
Liang Yue: Instructor Poitier?
Poitier: ā¦
Poitier: Actually, it wasn't even your pal.
Poitier: Yeah. Believe it or not, it was something called a Moshamir Worm, part of the Subterranean Shamirs Genus.
Poitier: The Foundation identified it for us, pretty much as soon as we could get them a picture.
Poitier: A well-documented critter found in the deserts of Asia and Africa. Anyone's guess how it ended up in a grassy SoCal suburb, but we live in a crazy world.
Poitier: They're sending it off for research. The whole "electricity" thing is new. So the eggheads want to do some tests.
Poitier: But what's clear as day is that whatever that thing is, it's not QiƔngliƔng.
Poitier: Not even the same kind of thing, not even in the same family. Just a worm, a big old creepy-ass electric worm-form critter. So, not your beastie.
Poitier: QiƔngliƔng, whatever it is, is not something that you could classify as a worm.
It's a creature that defies both classification and comprehension.
As they speak, a breeze slips through the doorway.
And the flowers by her bedside droop.
Liang Yue: ā¦
Poitier: ā¦
Poitier: I'm sorry.
A sympathetic hand returns to her shoulder.
Liang Yue: It's not QiƔngliƔng.
Poitier: No.
A short word and a long pause follow, broken by a deep breath.
Poitier: But I guess we gotta admit ...
Poitier: That QiƔngliƔng's really gone.
Poitier: For good.
Part 5 Severe Cold
One month later.
Poitier: Congratulations, Officer LiƔng! You're finally on your feet again!
Liang Yue: Huh?
A piece of falling confetti lands in LiĆ”ng YuĆØ's open mouth.
Liang Yue: cough
Liang Yue: What is all this?
A few colleagues are holding up bouquets of flowers and welcome back cards behind Poitier.
Liang Yue: I thought I was just coming here to collect my dismissal papers.
Poitier: Ah, well, you did mess upāreal bad.
Poitier: But that move with the sedative grenade was hard to ignore. You're the reason we caught that thing alive.
Poitier: And once people saw the lengths you were willing to go for QiƔngliƔng, well, it touched some hearts, I think. They might still think you're a nutcase, but a brave one.
Poitier: I hope you're ready for the Deputy Chief. I don't think he's going to go easy on you this time.
Poitier: If it makes you feel any better, I'll be sure to drop by and visit you in the archives for however long you're stuck down there.
Liang Yue: Hah.
LiĆ”ng YuĆØ drops her head, to hide the faint smile bubbling up on her face.
Liang Yue: Thank you.
Deputy Chief Elden: Get these out of my sight.
At the appearance of the chief, the crowd quickly disperses back to their desks.
Elden strides forward to the two officers, holding a paper bag filled with papers.
Poitier mimes a "just surrender" expression before sneaking off.
Elden is now looming over her like a collapsing wave.
Deputy Chief Elden: Police Law: A+. Criminal Psychology: A. Tactical Operations: A. Mixed Martial Arts: A-. Arcane Knowledge: A+.
Deputy Chief Elden: Do you know which score is missing, cadet?
Elden shakes the assessment sheet in his hand.
When he is at last confident that she's taken in the meaning, he puts it into his back pocket.
Deputy Chief Elden: No promises on a passing grade, after what you put us through with that stunt.
His piercing gaze feels as cold as ice, but it melts against the warm calmness of still water.
Liang Yue: I understand. I'll accept whatever score I'm given.
LiĆ”ng YuĆØ stands at attention, trying not to show a single emotion.
Elden studies her carefully, pausing long enough to draw a bead of sweat from her forehead. Then, he smirks.
Deputy Chief Elden: Listen up. This is just a piece of paper.
Deputy Chief Elden: But it means a hell of a lot more than that once it's submitted.
The ceiling fan creaks overhead, and a green scarab lingers on the dusty windowsill.
Deputy Chief Elden: I've met many kinds of officers in this line of work. Some are glory hounds, some like to spill every little detail to the press, others are no-good crooks.
Deputy Chief Elden: Some are loyal and brave, even when they get chewed up by the system. Some are honest, the kind that will stand up for what's right even against their fellow officers.
Deputy Chief Elden: I've seen too many rookies fall into corruption. No matter what choices they make, they always pay the price.
Deputy Chief Elden: I asked you once, "What kind of officer do you want to be?" That's not the question I want to ask anymore.
Deputy Chief Elden: So let me ask you this, how high a price would you pay to be that perfect officer you want to see in the mirror?
A pause.
The question weighs heavier than any interrogation.
Liang Yue: Iā
She nearly steps forward, the answer undeniable in her chest.
Deputy Chief Elden: You don't have to answer me now. Think it through.
He pulls a black pen from his pocket, holding the evaluation sheet in his other hand.
The outcome was decided, written in black and white.
After signing, Elden folds the sheet and tucks it away.
Deputy Chief Elden: You'll get the final results when you're back. The Vigiles will notify you.
The cool breeze carries laughter from the warmly lit precinct.
Liang Yue: panting
LiĆ”ng YuĆØ stands in the chilly night air for a long time, staring into the distance.
The scent of hot dogs wafts up from a nearby deli as she looks out toward the distant ocean.
Slowly, she reaches for the waiting phone.
Liang Yue: Hello, hello? Can you hear me?
Phone: ā¦
Liang Yue's Mother: Hello? Hello! What a surprise. You're calling home today?
The familiar voice travels across oceans, carried by electric currents.
Liang Yue: ā¦
Liang Yue's Mother: Honey, stop reading and come here. Our darling LiĆ”ng YuĆØ is calling!
Liang Yue's Mother: I'll put you on speaker, so your dad can hear us too.
Liang Yue's Mother: He was just talking about you yesterday, saying he hadn't heard a word since you left.
Liang Yue: ā¦
She took a deep breath.
Liang Yue: My probation period is almost over. I've got most of my results already. Just need to wait for the final outcome.
Liang Yue: I'm doing well. The food isn't so bad, and I've met lots of kind people and made many friends.
Liang Yue: Every day is fulfilling. The arcane cases here are quite different from those back home.
From the other end of the receiver comes an eager response, as even the smallest drops of information from her daughter are drunk in deep by her mother.
Liang Yue: ā¦
Liang Yue: Mom.
Liang Yue's Mother: Hmm? What's wrong?
Liang Yue: I lost QiƔngliƔng.
A memory surfaces of her childhood visits to the herbal shop with her mother, the air thick with the bitter aroma of medicinal herbs.
Liang Yue's Mother: ā¦
Fox nuts, poria, angelica, bupleurumāall weighed carefully, gram by gram, dissolving into water.
Liang Yue: I lost QiƔngliƔng.
The ache in her throat connects both past and present.
The bitterness lingers in her nose.
