Chapter 100
Chapter 100
They stepped out of the cramped “elevator” into a narrow corridor lined on both sides by massive, thick columns.
Some kind of totemic relief had been carved into each one. The totems coiled around the round pillars, radiating an air of ancient mystery.
Many more such pillars rose beside them as they walked, their crowns touching the ceiling and their bases planted firmly on the ground. Somehow, they made the enclosed space feel more expansive.
Blazing lamps projected dazzling light from the ceiling, illuminating the corridor as brightly as day.
No, it was daytime already. There should have been no need for illumination.
Unless they were underground, Xie Qingling thought.
The tap of their footsteps echoed through the corridor, making the place feel even more silent and empty.
Before long, Ling Fang led them to the end of the passage.
A door stood there, and behind it was an actual elevator.
After they entered, Ling Fang pressed the button marked “1,” and the elevator slowly ascended.
Polished steel panels covered the interior, bright enough to serve as mirrors and reflect all three of them perfectly.
Through the mirrored surface before him, Ling Fang stared into the eyes of the two behind him. “Take out your identification badges and pin them on.”
At his words, Xie Qingling took out her button-like identification badge and fastened it over the left side of her chest.
“These prove your identities and will let you move freely through the Old Royal City. Even if the people at headquarters don’t recognize you, they’ll recognize your badges,” Ling Fang said.
When Xie Qingling finished pinning hers on and looked up again, she discovered that Ling Fang had fastened his as well. His differed from hers and Shen Huaizhou’s.
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou had badges made entirely of gold. Only the corona around the edge was fashioned from some unknown material, with particular care given to its composition.
The corona on Ling Fang’s badge, however, was black. It looked like a golden sun descending through the night. More subdued and dignified, yet also more ornate and mysterious.
Honestly, Xie Qingling thought Ling Fang’s badge was prettier.
If her guess was correct, his badge was also a mark of identity – a symbol of his status as Director.
At that moment, the elevator chimed and stopped rising.
Its doors slowly opened, revealing the true face of headquarters to Xie Qingling.
The elevator stood in the middle of a building. Directly across from it was a glass wall. Apart from the enormous skylight that admitted daylight, every pane bore elaborate patterns in a multitude of colors, making the display livelier than a garden.
Threads of sunlight refracted through the towering skylight. After passing through the richly colored glass, they emerged in hues both cool and warm – blue and violet blending wondrously with orange and red.
The floor was a mirror like glass, reflecting the vaulted ceiling above and every minute detail of anyone who stepped upon it. Its gleaming surface extended the space toward infinity. Though they were indoors, it felt as though they stood upon a vast open plain.
This place…
It was as grand as a palace.
After looking around, Xie Qingling withdrew her gaze and continued standing silently behind Ling Fang alongside Shen Huaizhou, like a pair of guardians flanking him.
Ling Fang also looked away. He smoothed his leather gloves and checked their fastened buckles.
“This is the Operations Department’s office,” he said.
…Compared with the Old Royal City’s architecture, Future City’s little Western-style building seemed downright dainty.
“I need to attend a Directors’ meeting at the Administration Department and find out what’s happening. Wait here and remain available at all times.”
Ling Fang instructed them, “Remember, don’t wander around, and especially don’t leave headquarters without permission.”
“Understood!”
After receiving their answer, Ling Fang turned and left, heading toward the opposite side of the colorful glass wall.
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou remained where they were.
After standing there foolishly for a while, Xie Qingling began to feel like a pillar.
Strangely enough, this was supposedly the Operations Department’s office, yet there was not a soul in sight. It was utterly silent.
Xie Qingling pointed toward the entrance. “I think we could go sit in the sun by the door.”
Shen Huaizhou nodded, then walked ahead of her.
Ling Fang had told them to wait there, but as long as they did not leave headquarters, it should be fine.
They had no idea how long the Directors’ meeting would last. The thought of doing nothing but standing there made both Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou miserable.
Once they left the Operations Department, the view opened before them. Outside was an enormous plaza.
The grounds were circular, with three other towering buildings arranged around them.
The building directly opposite the Operations Department was slightly smaller and shorter. It looked like an ordinary administrative office building. Ling Fang had headed that way, so it was presumably the Administration Department.
The other two buildings had much more distinctive designs.
To the left of the Operations Department stood a traditional mortise-and-tenon structure. Its flying eaves and bracket sets crowned richly carved and painted beams, while small ridge figurines of various shapes lined the roof.
Xie Qingling recognized only one of the figurines: Xuanwu, depicted as a tortoise entwined by a snake.
The divine beast Xuanwu could ward off water.
She did not recognize the others, though each presumably served a purpose of its own.
The final building, on the right side of the Operations Department, rose in a spiral and looked highly technological. A long, pointed spire projected from its peak, making the structure resemble an inverted conch shell.
The four buildings surrounded the circular plaza, each standing at a distance in answer to the others.
Xie Qingling pointed at the circular plaza in the center. “Don’t tell me that’s their training ground.”
“Could be.”
Just imagining sparring in such a vast space felt exhilarating.
Xie Qingling’s heart brimmed with envy.
Anyone fighting in this circular plaza could truly cut loose, without fear of damaging anything indoors and being forced to hold back. The paving stones looked extremely sturdy too.
With nothing else to do, she struck up a conversation with Shen Huaizhou. “The Director’s badge is prettier than ours.”
“Obviously. He’s a Director. He outranks us.”
“Do you know about the Rookie Ranking?” Xie Qingling asked.
“Yes.”
“Huh?” Xie Qingling was startled. “How do you know?”
“The Director told me last year. Once I’d served for a full year, he asked whether I wanted to apply for a position at headquarters.”
“Oh? You turned him down?”
She had heard that Shen Huaizhou had often caused trouble when he first joined the Department. It seemed Ling Fang had been worried about him too and had waited until Shen completed a year of training before telling him about the Points Ranking.
Xie Qingling had received the same treatment.
“I refused,” Shen Huaizhou said. “Headquarters is too big. Too many people. Too noisy.”
Xie Qingling: “…”
“What’s in the Old Royal City? There doesn’t seem to be anyone here, so why do they need reinforcements?” Xie Qingling said.
It sounded less like a question than something she was wondering aloud.
Shen Huaizhou fell silent too and said nothing.
This place was so quiet. The Operations Department was, at least.
Generally speaking, if no one was in the office, they had probably all gone out… on missions.
Any special incident capable of mobilizing the entire Operations Department had to be serious.
But the two of them knew nothing at present. All they could do was wait for Ling Fang’s instructions before acting.
As they pondered, a burst of rapid footsteps came from the Operations Department office, which had remained empty all this time.
Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. Someone was rushing urgently toward the entrance.
The newcomer was also dressed in black, though a flash of gold showed along the edges of his clothes, setting his uniform slightly apart from Xie Qingling’s and Shen Huaizhou’s.
He froze at the sight of them, his expression turning thoughtful. But after only two seconds of indecision, he gave up trying to work it out. His gaze landed on the badges over their chests. “You two – are you with the Operations Department?”
“Yes!” they answered in unison.
The man immediately frowned. “You two, come with me.”
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou exchanged a glance, then followed him.
Pinned to the man’s chest was a golden sun badge with a black corona.
He held the same rank as Ling Fang.
That made him someone whose orders they had to obey.
After walking several steps, the man pulled a white bone whistle from around his neck and blew it, but Xie Qingling heard no sound.
“Bifang!” he called.
As his voice fell, a corner of empty space seemed to shatter. A bird with a sharp white beak poked its head through the crack and materialized out of thin air.
It had only one leg and somewhat resembled a crane, though its coloring was not black and white. Its feathers were blue-green and covered in clusters of red spots. The spots were alive, flaring into tongues of flame from time to time and making it resemble a firebird engulfed in flames.
Both its body and wings were enormous. A single beat of its wings sent dust billowing from the ground.
[Fire sprayed from its beak, and smoke rose from its wings. Bifang, which fed upon flame, lived in perpetual hunger. In the concrete forest, it could no longer find wildfires to fill its belly. To sate that hunger, Bifang lowered its proud head and forged a contract with a Chosen of Zhurong, God of Fire, agreeing to serve the people of the mortal realm.]
[When the bone whistle sounded and the name Bifang was called, Bifang would shatter space to come, bowing its head in submission before humankind.]
The one-legged Bifang lowered its massive head and gave a muffled cry. Then it crouched in a posture of submission. A plume of fire burned atop its crane-like head, but because it had signed a contract with a human, the flames could not harm people unless its master gave the command.
The man leaped onto its back first, then glanced over his shoulder and motioned for Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou to follow.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xie Qingling asked, “Excuse me, where are we going?”
“Where?” The man gave a cold laugh. “Twelfth Street, East District needs reinforcements. Didn’t you hear the order?”
They honestly had not.
After taking another look at Xie Qingling’s clothes, the man seemed to realize something. “You aren’t from headquarters. If you’re afraid of dying, leave now.”
With that, he ordered Bifang to move out.
Just as Bifang spread its wings, it suddenly felt extra weight on its back. The two people in floor-length dresses had leaped aboard.
They rose and landed in perfect unison, coming to a steady stop atop Bifang’s back.
“Let’s go,” Xie Qingling said. “We came here as reinforcements.”
The man’s expression remained sour. “I’m Tang Yuanxiao, a member of the Operations Department’s field team. Since you chose to come, protect yourselves and don’t hold me back.”
He was heading out to reinforce the others. If two clueless burdens joined his team, it would be a genuine headache.
Tang Yuanxiao even began considering whether he should dump the pair somewhere along the way.
Xie Qingling said, “You needn’t trouble yourself over us.”
Tang Yuanxiao snorted heavily and fell silent.
Bifang shot forward, banking across the vast circular plaza. With a single beat of its wings, it carried the three of them to a devastated street in the blink of an eye.
Twelfth Street, East District.