Chapter 215: Hotpot after a long day.
Reporter Han started ripping away the tubes tied to his hands. "This is big," he said excitedly, "This could tip the balance of power that the bureau has achieved so far. Qin Yifei is very open about wanting system hosts to be in control of the world." He paused and looked at Liwu, "What is your personal opinion on this?"
She drew her head back, eyes blinking furiously, "Are you trying to get me to give you a quote your next article?"
Han shrugged. "The public deserves to know."
Liwu’s grip tightened on the flowers, her knuckles white. She glanced at her husband, then at Xuanji, then back at the reporter. Then, she pressed a hidden button on the side of her watch.
Five seconds later, a light flashed into the room. Two masked agents in black took the reporter away without saying another word.
Weijun looked at his wife. Apart from her, who else had called in the cavalry? This story would die in the abyss where all other secrets related to the bureau went to die.
Seconds later, the hospital room dissolved in a flash of light, and the three of them vanished. They were teleported straight into the Bureau headquarters, whose sterile walls hummed with power.
The air was thick with authority.
They heard Han’s protests as he was led away for some good old memory wiping and resetting. Liwu, Weijun and Xuanji were ushered into a stark interrogation chamber.
A senior officer in a black suit leaned forward, eyes sharp. His cool mint breath slapped their nostrils as he questioned them. "Who else have you mentioned this information to? Names. Dates. Details."
Liwu’s jaw tightened. "No one. Just us. But Han’s editor Mihou knows about the phoenixes. There is also a man he talked to that told him about chicks that spit fire. That is how he got onto the story in the first place."
Xuanji raised a hand. "If this is about the presidency thing, we were the only ones in the room. Unless you count the Velveteen rabbit. I was holding the book. Stuffed animals know everything."
The officer glared. "Detective Xuanji."
Xuanji shrugged. "What? You asked."
Weijun’s voice was calm, steady. "We will keep this contained. Erasing our memories will do more harm than good. I have to look into my people to see if anyone was compromised. Oh...Cross Ho knows about the phoenixes. As for the rest, no one knows. I promise no leaks. No press. No outsiders."
The officer studied them for a long moment, then nodded. "Good, Keep it that way. The Bureau cannot afford panic. What you have heard about phoenixes, money, politics--remains classifies. Speak of it to no one."
Liwu exchanged a glance with her husband. The secrets in their marriage continued to pile higher.
Hours later, they were released, and dent back to the hospital. They left just as agents disguised as ordinary officers took over watch duty, for an empty room.
Weijun took Liwu’s hand, leading her out of the hospital. "Come," he said softly. "We need normalcy. How about Dinner and ice cream?"
Xuanji tugged along briefly, but after being bribed with a coupon for a dinner for two at a seven star hotel, he wandered off.
Weijun took Liwu to a bustling hot pot restaurant. Steam rose form simmering broths, mingling with laughter and clattering chopsticks. Once again, they were back in the ordinary world where her husband was a local celebrity. He waved to people, exchanged greetings and smiled as long as he could, until they settled in a private booth.
He ordered for spicy broth, thinly sliced beef, mushrooms and a mountain of noodles.
"Are you going to eat all that?" She asked.
He nodded. "This is my first meal of the day."
She let it be, waiting for him to prove his words. Soon, she was dipping meat into a bubbling pot, savoring the aroma.
"You always go for the spicy side first." He noted.
She smirked. "Keeps me awake. Besides, bland broth is for people who don’t have to chase thieves through alleys. Which is a daily need in your city. I underestimated how many thieves you have here."
They ate slowly, talking about everything but politics and what had happened. University, childhood memories, favorite books and the absurdity of Xuanji’s jokes. Between the conversation, they polished off everything and ordered for tea.
Weijun leaned back, sipping his tea, "Do you ever wonder what life would be like without systems?"
Liwu thought for a moment. "Quieter. But also emptier. My father says humans had pushed technology and development as far as they could take it. We were in a slump, unemployment rates were high worldwide. Crime rates were at a record high, and then systems fell. They gave people new knowledge, giving humans new development directions. They gave people power, but they also gave us chaos. They gave us new reasons to argue, to hate. My grandmother says without them, we would just argue about something else anyway, like soup."
He chuckled. "I would argue with you about soup with or without a system."
After dinner, they walked hand in hand to a nearby ice cream stall. She chose lemon, he chose vanilla, and they argued about the flavors. They also argued about the robot panda which served them the ice cream. They argued about the self driving taxi which honked so rudely, for more time than necessary.
"I have arrested at least twelve people in my career that shot those self-driving taxis." She said, laughing.
He yawned. "Call me old fashioned, but I need a human behind the wheel before I can get into the back of a car. Cross took one of those taxis and it stopped and threw him out because he broke the rules by smoking inside. It left him stranded by a graveyard in the countryside!"
They laughed again, the memories of the earlier parts of the evening long behind them.
Later that night, back at home, they slipped into bed. Liwu rested her head against the pillow, exhaustion finally catching up. Weijun reached for her hand, warmth steady between them.
But before sleep could claim them, the phone rang.
Liwu answered, voice groggy. Xuanji’s voice came from the other end, urgent. "Liwu," he whispered, "Have you seen the news? Liang Shunhua was in a plane that crushed into a mountain and Qin Yifei took a self driving taxi which lost control and crushed into a truck trailer."
She sat up, heart pounding. "Survivors?"
"Both of them are dead." He confirmed. "Bureau has agents on site. Guess which reporter was the first to report the news?"
Liwu and Weijun exchanged glances. Both of their eyes widened with disbelief.
Xuanji chuckled and said, "I guess the phoenix won’t rise after all."
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