Loggerhead: Tall Officer, are you up? I got you guys Chinese food. You must be hungry.
Poitier: Shh.
The two officers are both staring intently at the television screen.
The paper cups in their hands are crumpled tight.
Reporter: Almost 20 suspects in the holding cell were injured. Most were found unconscious at the scene and are now in critical condition at the hospital.
Reporter: The victims include arcane black market dealer Caster and Chicago gang leader Jason the Coyote, both of whom have since been acquitted of their crimes.
Behind the reporter, thick black smoke billows from the scene of a car accident. Flames lick at the oil spilled on the road, sending waves of searing heat into the air.
Medical Staff: Cameras, out of the way, out of the way! The ambulance needs to come through. We need banana bags stat, or these people could go into shock.
Injured Suspect I: Ah. My skin. It burns. Help, help!
Injured Suspect II: Whoever you are who did this, just wait and see. I'll, I'll tear you apart, you asshole!
Medical personnel shove past the journalist as they hurry over with a stretcher.
The cursing and wailing of the deranged man behind the reporter echo in the background. It sends a chill down their spines.
Reporter: The fire is speculated to have been started by a victim of a Nightpiercer attack who displayed signs of mental instability.
Reporter: At the same time, similar incidents have occurred at the Liber Street Detention Center and the Chinatown Police Station. The situations at both sites are similarly concerning.
Reporter: It has been reported that the Division of Arcane Affairs is considering the potential connections between these incidents. The mysterious figure behind the unresolved Nightpiercer attacks remains their top suspect.
Reporter: As with the previous attacks attributed to the Nightpiercer, the victims of these incidents are once again notorious criminals with extensive records.
Reporter: However, in light of the Nightpiercer's escalating criminal activities, support for the figure is dwindling as concerns for safety rise.
Reporter: In response to ongoing skepticism regarding the lack of resolution in the Nightpiercer case, Deputy Chief Elden of the Division of Arcane Affairs stated during the press conference that—
Poitier slams the power button on the remote before flicking it aside.
She yanks the IV needle from her hand and grabs her uniform from the bedside.
Poitier: Fk! I pass out for half a day, and Qí Xīng's already turned the city into her personal playground?
Poitier: Grab your stuff, rookie. We're hitting the road. Gotta find this bch before she kills someone.
Poitier: What, your feet stuck to the floor or something?
Poitier stops only when she notices Liáng still sitting motionless. Liáng purses her lips, struggling to speak under Poitier's skeptical gaze.
Liang Yue: Deputy Chief Elden took us off the case. It was an official order.
A few hours earlier, the L.A. office for the Division of Arcane Affairs fell into an eerie silence.
Deputy Chief Elden: Early this morning, Constance Scott, a staff member of the Foundation's Arcanum Containment Department, was assaulted during an illegal arcane object trade. She's still in critical condition.
Deputy Chief Elden: Forensic Services has confirmed that the arcane skill traces found at the scene of the attack match those left by the suspect in the ongoing Nightpiercer case.
Deputy Chief Elden: Thanks to Noire and our Vigiles cadet Liáng Yuè, who were both at the scene of the attack, we've been able to confirm the identity of the Nightpiercer.
Deputy Chief Elden: Name's Qí Xīng, a 29-year-old former movie actress from Hong Kong. She played the lead role in the Detective C07 series, where she gained a reasonable amount of fame.
Deputy Chief Elden: She was in a few more movies after that, but no big hits. She officially retired from acting a few years ago.
Deputy Chief Elden: The BAU's come to the conclusion that she's confused herself with her movie character—possibly a result of a mental imbalance caused by the setbacks in her career.
Deputy Chief Elden: She thinks she's the real-life C07, the hero who fights evil and cares for the weak. In short, we have a "vigilante" on our hands.
Deputy Chief Elden: Thanks to a minor mistake from the Foundation's Arcanum Containment Department, we also have a dangerous arcane item, a cursed film reel called Reunion of the Three Swallows, somewhere in the city.
Deputy Chief Elden: Liáng has confirmed that Constance Scott, the staff member who was assaulted by Qí Xīng yesterday, is the perpetrator of the theft.
Deputy Chief Elden: As you're all aware, there's been an explosion in mental disorders in Chinatown. We now know that their source is the cursed film reel.
Deputy Chief Elden: It's currently in Qí Xīng's possession, which makes her even more dangerous.
Deputy Chief Elden: Having learned about the history behind this arcane film, we have reason to believe that obtaining it was one of her motives.
Deputy Chief Elden: Since the film's been in her possession, there have been multiple assaults around the city, all matching the patterns of the Nightpiercer.
Deputy Chief Elden: But there's one key difference. This time, the victims all showed the same mental disorder as the victims of the film.
Deputy Chief Elden: We believe that the suspect is able to control the film's power to some extent, and she's using it to commit escalating crimes at a much higher frequency.
Deputy Chief Elden: We need to act before the situation gets out of control.
Deputy Chief Elden: Reinforcements from the Foundation and the Vigiles Bureau are already on the way. We will do whatever we can to protect our city before they arrive.
He pauses for a moment as he sweeps his gaze over the officers before him.
Deputy Chief Elden: James, Carter, I'm putting you on the case. You'll be taking direct orders from me. The rest of you stick to your posts.
Liang Yue: Excuse me, Deputy Chief Elden. I need to ask you something.
Deputy Chief Elden: I already know what it is.
Before Liáng can speak, Elden cuts her off. His tone is calmer than she expected.
Deputy Chief Elden: You and Poitier saw that something was going on in Chinatown and started an investigation yourselves.
Deputy Chief Elden: You found the culprit behind the ACD theft and stopped an assault that could've ended much worse.
Deputy Chief Elden: You've done a great job.
But then his tone shifts.
Deputy Chief Elden: But there's one key thing you failed to do. You had a chance to apprehend the Nightpiercer right then and there, but somehow she slipped through your fingers.
Deputy Chief Elden: According to your report and the witnesses' statements, you failed to summon your legendary beast when you confronted the suspect.
Deputy Chief Elden: As a result, not only did the suspect get away, but your partner sustained an avoidable injury. I need my best, most reliable officers on this case.
After a brief pause, he delivers his final verdict.
Deputy Chief Elden: Sorry, Liáng, but you don't make the cut. The two of you will be excluded from the operation.
Poitier: This is bullst! He can't cut us out. This is our case!
Poitier: No. We're doing this.
Loggerhead: Calm down, Ms. Po ... Ms. Potty! Even if you feel fine, the doctor said you had to stay in bed for at least a few days.
Poitier: The name's Poitier. And I'm fine, okay? Stop trying to—
Poitier: cough
Facts speak louder than words. Liáng gently leads Poitier back down onto the bed. This time, Poitier doesn't resist.
Poitier: Damn it. So what went wrong? How come your friend, Tángláng, was it?—didn't show up?
Liang Yue: Qiángliáng must've sensed my hesitation and refused my summon. You see, if its master can't overcome their selfish desires with an unwavering heart, it can turn on them. Father used to warn me about it.
Liang Yue: But that won't happen again, I promise.
Poitier narrows her eyes as she studies Liáng for a moment.
Poitier: Heh heh. If you say so, what're you gonna do now?
Liáng takes a deep breath.
Liang Yue: I'll continue with the investigation. I need to find Qí Xīng.
Loggerhead: What? But that angry grandpa already pulled you off the case.
Liang Yue: I have to do this.
Poitier: What for? Because of your duty to fight evil as the master of Qiángliáng?
Poitier furrows her brow. But to her surprise, Liáng shakes her head.
Liang Yue: I've always had two things guiding me: my duty as a member of the Liáng family and the spirit of C07.
Liang Yue: But now, Qiángliáng has ignored my summon, and Qí Xīng has turned out to be anything but a hero. They were once the beacons of my life, but not anymore.
Liang Yue: This could be a setback, yes, or, it could be an opportunity.
Liang Yue: For the first time in my life, I can think about what I really want without having to consider anything else.
After a brief moment of surprise, Poitier lets out a laugh.
Poitier: You know what, rookie, it always grinds my gears when you talk about your duty and all that stuff.
Poitier: But what you're saying now? I like it.
Liang Yue: Aren't you going to stop me?
Poitier: Why would I? It's our case, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with doing our job.
Poitier: If Elden bches about it, just tell him you bumped into the crook when you were strolling around the city.
Liang Yue: Seriously?
Poitier: Yeah. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
Poitier: So what's the game plan, huh? What're you gonna do?
Arcane Affairs Officer I: This scene again? They must've done a dozen takes already, right?
Arcane Affairs Officer II: Yeah. I'm no movie expert, but even I can tell the actor's nervous as hell.
Arcane Affairs Officer I: Of course, he is. Anyone would be nervous if they knew a wanted criminal could show up at any time and mess you up with arcanum.
Arcane Affairs Officer I: Elden tried to keep the details of the case a secret, but that director from Hong Kong told her crew about it as soon as she came back.
The two uniformed figures stand in a narrow alley in Chinatown.
They came to protect the potential target of an attack, Noire, but were politely turned away on the grounds of "disrupting filming." Now, they can only confirm the situation inside the set by peering through the slightly ajar door.
Arcane Affairs Officer I: I mean, I guess they have the right to know, and to run. Half of the extras got the hell out as fast as they could, and look at the other half. They're too nervous to work.
Arcane Affairs Officer II: I know. Hey, that's the Vigiles cadet, isn't it? What's she doing here?
Noire: The officers said you're here to help. Is that right?
Noire: Excellent. We could really use a hand right now. Come, let's get you in costume.
Noire greets her guest with her usual amiable smile.
Having reached an agreement with Liáng to cooperate in an arrest, Noire has not been charged for her illegal trading of the arcane object.
After being released from custody this morning, she immediately returned to filming.
Liang Yue: I'm more than happy to help, but first, I have something important to ask you.
Noire pauses.
Noire: Right to the point this time, I see.
Liang Yue: I don't think there's any need to tiptoe around each other anymore. Could you answer me directly this time?
Liang Yue: What happened between you, Qí Xīng, and Hé Rìjūn, the creator of Reunion of the Three Swallows?
Liang Yue: How did she die? Why do you and Ms. Qí Xīng both want that film? And why is she doing this?
Noire looks at Liáng, her usual smile fading slightly.
Noire: What do you plan to do with my answers?
Liang Yue: To Qí Xīng, I'm probably just another fan.
Liang Yue: But to me, she and her character mean something.
Liang Yue: I need to know why. I have to arrest her and find out the truth.
Liang Yue: Maybe I can still fix things, but, Ms. Noire, I need your help if I'm going to do it.
This time, Liáng says exactly what she's thinking. She holds her breath as she awaits Noire's response.
Noire: You mean, you want to know more about her.
Noire: To peek behind the scenes—learn what really happened behind all the movie magic. I told you it's not a good idea.
Noire: We create works not just to express ourselves, but to entertain. And when we release them to the public, we open ourselves to all kinds of commentary, whether they be sweet or bitter.
Noire: But the people behind the characters, behind the production, they are not for entertainment. Their lives are not fiction.
Liang Yue: Is that a no?
Noire: I haven't finished.
She raises an eyebrow, a hint of mischief growing behind her smile.
Noire: Though I don't advocate trying to cross the line between on and off screen, if we cast aside your relationship as fan and actress and treat you simply as individuals ...
Noire: Saying "I want to know more about you" sounds rather beautiful. It's touching, really.
Noire: I'll answer your questions, Ms. Liáng. Follow me.
